燃えよ剣　～ Burn, My Sword ～

Welcome

2011-03-10T10:35:00.001+09:00

Note: This is homepage for an English translation of the Japanese historical fiction novel, "Moe Yo Ken," by Shiba Ryoutarou. It is being uploaded here for educational purposes only. It's also become a depository for other little translation projects I've done.

"Moe Yo Ken" News : The entirety of the revised first volume is now up for your reading pleasure!

As for when I will start working on the second half...sadly, I don't think it will happen until I find a willing publisher. In the meantime, my translation of Edogawa Rampo's "The Fiend with Twenty Faces" is scheduled for publication this winter, so keep an eye out for it!

34

2010-06-14T19:49:00.001+09:00

34. Yohei's Shop

"Hijikata Toshizou must be killed."

This was a serious topic of discussion for the Itou group around the time -- the time, that is, when details about the promotion of the Shinsengumi from being overseen by the Kyou Office of Protection to direct patrons of the Tokugawa family began to actualize. This autumn of 1865 (Keiou 2) would be their fourth in the capital.

In early fall, the Military Advisor Itou Kashitarou announced to the squad that "we will be holding a memorial service for our Edo comrades." With that, all the main members of the Itou group were assembled at Kaikouji Temple, a mountainous sub-temple of Sennyuuji Temple on the outskirts of the east.

The ones who gathered aside from the two big men, Itou's younger brother, 9th Division Captain Suzuki Mikisaburou, and a member of the Spy Division, Shinohara Tainoshin, included one of Itou's swordsmanship pupils, Utsumi Jirou, and his other allies from Edo: Kanou Washio, Hattori Takeo, and another spy, Arai Tadao.

There was one other man present who wasn't from the Shinsengumi. He was sitting among them silently, like a massive pillar.

They were using the priest's chamber at Kaikouji Temple as a secret meeting room. A lush green garden was visible, its bushes cascading the cliffs of the eastern hills.

Despite being early autumn, the rays of the sun still burned. Wind was blowing from the tips of the cliffs down through the yellowed leaves of ancient trees.

"Itou-san, we're deserting. That's all there is to it. I don't see the need for any detailed discussions or plans here," said Shinohara Tainoshin.

After the Restoration, he took on the name Hatashige Chika and received a position in the government, where he lived a comfortable life and died of old age during his 84th year, just at the end of the Meiji Period. This masterless samurai from Kurume had a carefree aura about him, and disliked complicated strategy.

"You know, Itou-san..." Shinohara began. He had been a companion of Itou since the man's days in Edo, but was seven or eight years older. "You're too stubborn. You're still thinking of taking over the Shinsengumi and turning it into a righteous army for the Emperor, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

"Always the planner. And it's true, the Shinsengumi is in a state of flux. First it was created by Kiyokawa Hachirou, then Serizawa Kamo was overthrown and Kondou Isami's group took the reins. And now you're thinking the fourth leader will be Itou Kashitarou." Shinohara fluttered an iron fan around his neck. "I bet you thought it'd just be like buying out any old store, huh? Unfortunately, the Shinsengumi has a barrel-maker in their midst."

"Barrel-maker?"

"Hijikata. The bastard may have been a pharmacist in his Bushuu days, but he's a barrel-maker at heart. He knows how to shave down planks and bind them together with iron so tight that no sort of throwing stone will be able to puncture them, no matter how big."

"You have sharp eyes, Shinohara-kun," Itou Kashitarou smiled. "But that barrel-maker..."

"Gonna kill him?"

"Yes," Itou nodded. "Once we kill Hijikata, all that's left is the idiot Kondou. He'll become an advocate of the Imperial will in no time. All it will take is a few more trips down to the south. The man has a rather cute love of politics and ideologies, you see...but I'll be sure to whip him into shape."

"So our only problem is the barrel-maker, then?" Shinohara snickered. "He's no weakling, you know." With a smack, he struck his neck with the iron fan. An autumn fly floated down onto his lap.

"Shinohara-kun, I'm not asking you to do the deed," Itou explained.

"You're planning to gang up on him?"

"Well, that's what I was hoping to discuss with you."

"Whoever kills him should do it alone." Shinohara picked up the fly, walked over to the garden, and threw it out. "Itou-san, unless you're planning to do this yourself, someone will find out. And when they do, that's it. Kondou's an idiot, so he'll immediately try to seek revenge...and then you can say goodbye to all your Imperial wills."

"I've been thinking about that," Itou peered over to a pillar by the garden.

That's where the aforementioned man was sitting. He was smoking. Half of the light brown skin on his face was illuminated by the green light of the garden, appearing as if he was growing moss. His lips were thin, and there was a single wrinkle from his right nostril trickling down to his mouth.

Over six years, this man had aged. He was once the head teacher of the Kougen Ittou style dojo in Hachiouji, Bushuu: Shichiri Kennosuke.

Shichiri had been working at the Satsuma and Choushuu estates, but was now an influential member of the Kyou Imperialist party. Itou Kashitarou joining hands with Nakamura Hanjirou (Kirino Toshiaki) was his doing.

"To tell you the truth, Shichiri-san here..." Itou stated, "has mentioned that he wants to gather up a group of warriors and kill the man. According to Shichiri-san, if any of us do it, the truth will be found out. Accepting this may result in us appearing powerless and shameful, but I feel that allowing our friend here to take care of this little matter will make everything afterwards go much smoother. Leading Kondou to turn his squad into a righteous Imperial army, that is."

"But Shichiri-san...just how do you intend to lure that wary barrel-maker out, anyway?" Shinohara turned his face to the garden.

In the backlight sat Shichiri Kennosuke. With a thump, he took a flyswatter to his large neck, and then began speaking in a low voice. "I know how he thinks. We go back a long way, you see."

"Seems like you bear a grudge against him."

"No, this is for the Empire. If it will allow the Shinsengumi to become a righteous army, then I feel no hesitation toward carrying out a dangerous task like this. If that barrel-maker you speak of disappears, then the bindings of the squad will all come apart."

The next day, Itou Kashitarou took one of his confidants Arai Tadao with him to Nagoya, Oshuu.

"The attitudes of the Tokugawa family in Oshuu are questionable." Itou used this as a reason to bring Kondou along with him and check out the situation. His real reason for going, of course, was to engage in discussions with the Oshuu clan Imperial party. There was also one other secret reason.

During his absence, Shichiri would kill Hijikata Toshizou. It would no doubt cause a great uproar within the squad, so this was a cautionary measure to ensure Itou would not get caught up in anything.

"Shichiri-san, I should return after the twentieth day of the ninth month. Please take care of things by then," he emphasized to the assassin.

Toshizou, of course, knew nothing.

Luckily, Kondou had recently been calm and relaxed in the headquarters, so Toshizou had been leaving things to him there and going out on more patrols around the city. He would always take at least one division out with him.

Whenever Toshizou walked through the streets of the capital, they would always suddenly become so quiet, so much that you could hear a pin drop. On this occasion, he brought Okita Souji's 1st Division with him, and left the headquarters in the evening.

The Vice-Captain watched the sun set in front of Sannou Shrine at Taka Crossing. Upon turning around, he could see the red light dripping down from the clouds over Mt. Nishi, beyond the large ginkgo trees within the compound.

"Think up any new poems, Master Hougyoku?" Okita teased.

"I'm no good at autumn poems."

"Which season do you prefer, then?"

"Spring."

"Hmmm..." Okita made a surprised face. "Hijikata-san and spring, huh?"

"What, you got a problem with that?"

"No, not particularly."

"I'm a man of spring."

Now that he thought about it, Okita could recall that the majority of the poems within the "Hougyoku Poem Book" that dealt with spring. Personally, Okita felt the bone-chilling cold of winter would fit the Vice-Captain's personality a little better.

"They say people who like spring always have hope for tomorrow."

"Oh really?"

They walked north toward Higashinotou Temple. Within the six blocks to the location were a number of estates, such as the Minaguchi, Geshuu Hiroshima, Satsuma, Oshi,and Ise Matsuyama clans'. The warriors who lived at the estates in this area would always avoid the Shinsengumi whenever they patrolled by.

When they got to the corner of Takoyakushi Road, the squad lit their lanterns.

"Okita, I'm getting a strange premonition here. I'm going to go wander around a little bit on my own over there, so let's split up now."

"Where are you going?" Okita would never ask such a thing, for he always kept a vague watch over where Toshizou went. "Well then, take care."

"Yeah." Toshizou walked east along Takoyakushi Road.

He was heading to her house -- O-Yuki's.

She was there. And, as if she had been waiting especially for him to come, her face was powdered lightly with makeup.

"I just happened to be in the neighborhood," Toshizou said, looking away from the woman's face as he spoke. This man rarely showed such embarrassment. "Am I bothering you?"

"No. Please come inside. I'll put on some tea."

He had already come to visit her seven or eight times already, so she was quite gentle-mannered toward him.

Toshizou would not grasp O-Yuki's hand, though. However unlike him it seemed, for some reason, he treated this woman with special care. He would always simply come for a visit, discuss mundane topics with her, and then leave. They would talk about things like Edo, their childhoods, gidayuu ballad drama, and life in Kyou.

Toshizou became quite the loquacious man in front of O-Yuki. If Kondou or Okita had ever seen him in like this, they probably would have thought it was a different person. He told story after story about his childhood, sparing not a single detail.

O-Yuki was a smart listener. She would nod to everything, laugh in a soft fashion that was pleasant to the ears, and sometimes humbly joke about the topic at hand.

Toshizou spoke with a strange zeal. Especially when he got into his own memories, the Vice-Captain seethed with passion. It was as if he was trying to pass on all the information about his life to her.

"My mother passed away when I was three," he explained, something he would scoff at if questioned by anyone. "O-Yuki-san. Do you know about Takahata Fudou in Bushuu?"

"Yes, I've heard of it."

"My mother came from that village. Despite being a woman, she apparently loved her sake. That blood was passed on to my elder sister Onobu, who goes through at least one or two decanters a night."

"Seems like your mother's legacy was passed on to Lady Onobu, then."

"I'm sure that's her intention, too. I was closer to my sister's husband, Satou Hikigorou, than I was to her, and spent much of my childhood at their house in Hinojuku rather than my actual home in Ishida Village. He was the village chief of Hino, and the protector of the Tennen Rishin style since my father's generation. Brother Hikigorou is also an instructor-class swordsman."

"And Lady Onobu?" O-Yuki seemed to have more interest in Toshizou's sister. "She must resemble your mother?"

"Only with alcohol. From what I hear, her face and attitude don't. Obviously, I don't remember much about my mother, but from what I heard from my brothers and sister, sake--" Suddenly, Toshizou's mouth snapped shut.

It was unbelievable how he hadn't made this small discovery until now, but all of a sudden, it snapped at his heartstrings, filling his breast with shock.

'This woman resembles her...' Finally, Toshizou realized why he had kept coming back time and time again to this house.

O-Yuki didn't quite fit into the mould Toshizou had created in his mind of his ideal woman. If it had to be one or the other, then technically, O-Yuki shouldn't have even sparked any lust from the noble-seeking heart of the man. And yet, he was captivated. He hadn't understood the reason himself.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, why...?" Toshizou picked up the shallow Kyou teacup from his lap. He casually changed the topic. "I wanted to become a warrior."

"Yeah, that's why I planted arrow bamboo in the garden at home when I was a child. I heard that the house of every warrior during the Warring States Period had a grove of arrow bamboo in their gardens, so I decided to do the same."

They never ran out of things to talk about. Despite the endless talkativity Toshizou displayed, O-Yuki always nodded to whatever he said as if it was priceless information.

'This man isn't coming here merely to talk,' she thought. 'He's coming here to become a different person.'

It was like Toshizou wasn't visiting to talk with her, but rather to inspect the innermost crevices of his own soul. And yet, in his own mind, one thought continued to ring out: "O-Yuki is amazing. Someday...I'll embrace her." But as he thought this, every time he came to her house, he would merely descend into a string of tales, shaving off his own limited time.

That night, he left O-Yuki's house a little after nine in the evening. As he stomped over the boards covering the house's drain, the sounds of insects ceased.

Stars filled the night sky.

Toshizou walked down Aburano Lane, turning at the corner of Echigoyamachi. All the stores on this street had already closed their doors. Toshizou, however, knew of a place that sold sake run by a man named Yohei that would still be open.

He walked into the store. There was already a customer there.

Toshizou ordered some sweet sake.

"Sweet sake, huh?" The one who laughed and said this was not the old shopkeeper, Yohei, but the other customer, who was sitting in a dark corner of the store. As he continued to laugh, the figure thumbed up the hilt of his sword.

Toshizou sat down on a stool away from the man. "Shichiri, huh?" He was calm.

This persistent Kougen Ittou swordsman must have heard somewhere that Toshizou often came up this way to visit O-Yuki. In fact, Shichiri had most likely sent a spy out to track Toshizou this very night. Shichiri himself then had probably gone on ahead to wait in Yohei's shop while he kept an eye on the road.

"Sweet sake...that's rather tender of you." Shichiri stood up from his seat, moving toward Toshizou.

"Looking for a fight?" Toshizou asked.

"Nope," Shichiri sat down across from the Vice-Captain. He continued to speak as he laid out his own trays, cups, and fish plates on the table. "Despite our fates being so intertwined, this is the first time we've had the chance to sit down and talk together, isn't it?"

Toshizou was silent.

"Hijikata, let's relax and enjoy each other's company tonight."

"I decline," Toshizou raised his head. The sweet sake was brought out.

"Don't wanna talk? We've had our share of differences in the past, so I figured it might have been a useless gesture...and hearing you now makes me guess I've really got no choice. You're one stubborn bastard, you know that?"

"You're the stubborn bastard that keeps insisting on cursing me. I almost lost my life at Hori River."

"Hijikata, I dunno who was nice enough to bestow their grace on you when you dropped down into this world, but I must say, you've got one hell of a providential protector. Seriously though, I want you to listen to me on this one. Carrying around grudges and bad blood with a fellow like this doesn't exactly fit me either, so what do you say we begin the ceremony to cut the cord here once and for all?"

"And I assume this ceremony only requires two people?"

"Hey, you're Hijikata Toshizou, aren't you? He should know that a ceremony to cut ties between men doesn't call for any helpers or reinforcements."

"What about you, though?"

"I'm Shichiri Kennosuke. It may seem old-fashioned, but I'll be willing to pen a written oath for you. Let's face it, Hijikata, between the two of us, you're the one who can't be relied on here."

"I'm a warrior," Toshizou said shortly. And warriors were to face each other one-on-one, no exceptions.

Shichiri Kennosuke nodded, as if he was expecting the man to answer that way. "Then I'll believe in your credibility as a warrior. Things might get fishy if we agree to do this tomorrow or something, so how about right now?"

"Where?" Toshizou's defenses went up as soon as he asked this.

"You're gonna leave that to me? Isn't it fairer for the recipient to decide the location?" Shichiri most likely assumed that Toshizou would suspect a trap if he was the designator.

"I doubt anyone will come around the riverbed at Nijou."

"Fine," Shichiri said, calling into the back. "Hey pops! Two palanquins, on the double."

END OF VOLUME 1 (576p)

33

2010-06-14T19:46:00.002+09:00

33. Red & White

Not long after, on the twenty-second day of the twelfth month of 1864 (Keiou 1), Force Captain Kondou Isami finally returned from Geishuu. The men who had accompanied him, Itou Kashitarou, Takeda Kanryuusai, and Ogata Shuntarou, also filed into the new HQ in Kashouchou, covered in traveler's dust.

"Good job holding down the fort, Toshi!" Kondou patted Toshizou hard on the back. It seemed as if the Force Captain had changed, somehow. In only one month, the eyes with which he looked at his vice had grown a bit colder.

'Strange.' And so, the sensitive wheels of Toshizou's mind began churning.

That night, there was a banquet for all the officers. Kondou quickly downed a few shots, becoming beet red in no time at all. Despite being usually temperate, he kept commenting on how delicious the alcohol tasted.

"The old capital really does have the best sake!" However, the man would drink no more, content to gobble down anything his eyes came across on the trays in front of him, yet feverishly discussing as if he was actually drunk. "On the outside, Choushuu is swearing allegiance to both the Emperor and the government, but they're just like wolves in sheep's clothing! They're actually piling up weapons behind our backs!"

"Hoh..." the officers present were all surprised.

The Aizu clan vehemently hated Choushuu, so of course Kondou looked upon the clan with similar eyes.

'They must be planning to conquer the entire country,' Kondou thought. The Mouri house wanted to rise up to become shogun, take the Emperor and create a new government themselves. To Choushuu, the "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" ideology was merely a tool, Kondou believed, filled with repugnance. It wasn't just him, though -- everyone from the Aizu clan felt the same way, and even the Satsuma clan, who later allied with Choushuu, strongly agreed on this point.

As proof, during the time of the Satsuma-Choushuu alliance, Saigou Yoshinosuke (Takamori) from Satsuma did not easily agree to anything, most likely because he held these doubts in his heart.

"The government is weak," Kondou spat out. "If they don't send soldiers into Suono and Nagato soon, crush the Mouri house, and put the land under government control, who knows what'll happen."

"But, Kondou-san..." Itou raised his pale face. He had a different way of thinking. "Just last year, Choushuu vowed to revere the emperor and expel the barbarians, even in the face of enemy ships from four different countries in Shimonoseki. Loyalists all around the country applauded the clan's fearless deed. Kondou-sensei, you too are a believer of revering the Emperor and expelling the barbarians, are you not?"

"Indeed, I am."Without a doubt, it was one of the founding ideals of the Shinsengumi.

"In that case, you should possess a more flexible way of looking at Choushuu. They were merely attempting to carry out their Imperial orders. The foreign barbarian's artillery proved far too powerful, however, so all their cannons on the shore were destroyed -- and in addition to that, they were later punished by their own government. Choushuu has been wounded so badly, they're on the verge of death. Regardless of any other crimes they have committed, further attacking them at this point would not be the choice of a true warrior."

"The choice of a true warrior..."Kondou dropped his chopsticks. "Itou-san, are you implying that I am not a true warrior?"

"Yes," Itou stared straight into Kondou's eyes, then laughed and continued the discussion.

The clever Itou already had Kondou completely figured out. He possessed a simple mind, one that argued for principles based on his own emotional standing rather than pure knowledge.

"The question of whether or not a warrior is a true warrior can be answered simply by whether or not he possesses compassion. To put it simply, he must feel sympathy for his fellow warriors."

"You don't need to put it simply," Kondou snatched up a piece of sashimi. "I understand." He placed it into his mouth with a bitter expression.

Kondou had already become a big fish in the sea of Kyou politics, and the man intended to carry himself as so. Being seen as uneducated by Itou was painful.

"Itou-san. I understand everything. There is no reason to talk excessively."

"I agree. And especially, on this recent trip, I think you truly came to understand my humble opinions, to a profound level—Hijikata-san," Itou suddenly turned to Toshizou, who was sitting opposite kneed with Kondou.

From the beginning, the Vice-Captain had been sitting and drinking in silence.

"It's true, Hijikata-san."

"What is?" Toshizou asked listlessly.

"You see, what I mean to say is," Itou stammered. He wasn't very good at dealing with Toshizou. "Kondou-sensei...I believe, having come to understand the state of affairs for Choushuu has widened his outlook an additional level. I fear that the only entity left capable of bringing order to this chaotic capital is our very own Kondou-sensei, now equipped with the ability to drink down both the purities and impurities of a situation."

"Oh really?" Kondou, you dumbass, is what Toshizou was really thinking. Eating up flattery like this would only bring the man trouble in the end.

"What do you think, Hijikata-san?"

"About what?"

"This problem."

"I have absolutely no interest in it," Toshizou answered curtly.

When the time comes, all that really matters is the character of a man and what he can do on his own, Toshizou believed. The Shinsengumi may have been a group formed to "Revere the Emperor and Expel the Barbarians," but there was still a wide variety of different ideologies throwing that motto around. Choushuu was a mess, had their political rights taken away from them, and were still trying to follow through with that mission. Unlike them, however, the Aizu clan was planning to protect the Emperor and expel the barbarians by strengthening the government. Toshizou simply believed that as long as the Aizu clan sat above the Shinsengumi, they had a right to follow that way of thinking. That was enough for him as a man.

'After all, deep down, I'm a fighting master,' Toshizou smiled to himself.

Whether or not it was because Itou found that smile oddly unsettling, the man had been silenced. After that moment, his mood was dampened, and he didn't seem as enthusiastic in his talking.

The next year soon came: 1865 (Keiou 2).

On the twenty-seventh day of the first month, Kondou accompanied the Chief Delegate for the government, Kasahara Iki-no-Kami to Hiroshima, Geishuu in order to continue negotiations with Choushuu.

"Again?" Toshizou approached Kondou before his departure.

"Toshi, I'm counting on you to keep the fort down here. This time I'll be heading directly into Choushuu territory. I want to witness the true state of Choushuu with my own eyes, and talk with actual Choushuu men. After discussing politics with them, I will finally be able to determine whether the plan to restore order to the nation will be one of arms or one of harmony."

'Gimme a break,' Toshizou thought, but said nothing of the sort. "And you'll be going with Itou, I assume?" Just to make sure.

"He is my Military Advisor," Kondou answered. "Of course I will be taking him."

"Advisor?"

"Yes."

"You don't even have a clue as to who the hell that bastard's been advising."

"Toshi, there's no reason to talk so vulgarly like that. We are patriots now, no longer the sons of farmers from Tama we once were. Itou is just a means to an end. Regardless of the way the man talks and portrays himself, it is irrefutable that his intelligence and service adds clout."

"Adds clout?" Toshizou snickered. "And just what is he adding clout to?"

"To the Shinsengumi."

"Kondou-san. I assume you know that the men Itou often hangs around with have been talking about how the Shinsengumi is virtually under the control of Choushuu?"

"Impossible."

"Or is that what you meant by adding clout?"

"This is just your bad side coming out," Kondou said. "Toshi, ever since I can remember, you've always had a mean streak about you."

"Maybe it's just because of my background, but every time I see a bastard like that, I can't help but feel like puking."

And so, Itou accompanied Kondou to negotiate with Choushuu. This time, Itou brought his leading man, the spy Shinohara Tainoshin along with him.

After entering Hiroshima, Itou and Shinohara accompanied Kondou for a bit. Gradually, however, they secretly separated from the man, going to meet up with Hirosawa Heisuke (later known as Saneomi. He rose up to become another councillor of the Meiji government alongside Kido Takayoshi) and enter Choushuu. The Choushuu clan was pleased with this.

The duo searched out radicals within Choushuu and exchanged ideas. This was about the time when Itou became resolved in his heart to topple the government.

He had a reason.

Itou took his first step towards betrayal because he came across a very important piece of secret information during his visit to Choushuu. This information detailed the mutual alliance that had been signed between Choushuu and Satsuma, two clans that had previously been like cats and dogs, and the latter of the two being a trusted ally of Aizu.

This secret alliance, which brought a sudden change to the history of the Meiji Restoration, was signed on the twentieth day of this month by Choushuu's Katsura Kogorou, Satsuma's Saigou Yoshinosuke, and their mediator from Doshuu, Sakamoto Ryouma. The meeting took place in the Satsuma estate on Nishiki Lane in Kyou.

No one in the government, Aizu clan, or the Shinsengumi had any knowledge of this.

That was no surprise. In order to keep the meeting as secret as possible, neither Katsura nor Saigou had told any of their subordinates, preventing the news from getting out.

"If Satsuma and Choushuu ever joined hands..." No one at the time thought such a thing was even possible. "Militarily, the government would be no match for them."

The myriad of vassal warriors the government boasted were weak and useless. Aside from the three royal families, the Tokugawa house themselves, Aizu, and Kuwana, no other daimyo was likely to rise to the occassion. Even government officials admitted to this.

And so, the two great clans joined hands. It's safe to say that from this moment, the government was defeated --but unfortunately, Toshizou had no knowledge of this.

And neither did Force Captain Kondou.

The only man of the Shinsengumi who did know was the Military Advisor, Itou Kashitarou. "See you soon, in Kyou." Itou announced to the Choushuu men, before taking his leave. "I intend to build up a righteous army to aid your cause. Naturally, I will be cutting ties with Kondou and Hijikata."

The Choushuu clan was pleased.

Itou was given a warm reception, and remained there for fifty days.

Kondou came back from his trip to Hiroshima with little delay, but managed to gain something from his time as well. The elder Kasahara Iki-No-Kami Nagamichi, who Kondou accompanied, ended up falling in love with the Force Capatain's character.

More than love, Ikinokami truly felt moved by Kondou. There was not a more praiseworthy man he knew than this masterless samurai, who had cast away his status and continued to sacrifice himself for the sake of the government.

"Sensei," Iki-No-Kami respectfully referred to the man. This big-nosed, yet weak-hearted 45-year old heir to the Karatsu clan couldn't help but love the stubborn, brash nature of Kondou. To be honest, though, it was probably the first time he had ever encountered such a person.

"Men like you, sensei, are the cornerstones of our nation," the elder said, as if worshiping some monolith. "I'm sure you're familiar with the current state of the vassals who have been the so-called protectors of our country for over three hundred years. I have a tendency to take a pessimistic view on things, but I believe that sooner or later, the time will come when our Lord has no choice but to call upon the Shinsengumi. Well?" Iki-No-Kami asked Kondou. "All the better, why don't you simply become under direct control of the Lord himself? I imagine you will be pleased with the financial benefits."

"--sir." But Kondou managed to suppress his excitement, remembering that the Shinsengumi was a band of allies, and nothing more. His soldiers were not his servants, but his comrades. It would not be fair for him to profit from their work.

'I can't. Itou Kashitarou and his men would most likely be against it, anyway.'

They were of a different breed than Kondou, men who had moved from their respective domains to become radical loyalists in Kyou. If they were really after some sort of government-serving positions, they wouldn't have left their homes in the first place. And besides, rising up to direct service under the Tokugawa would be like a slap in the face to their original clan leaders.

'Itou Kashitarou...he's in my way.' This was the first time Kondou had ever felt such a thing.

He had no intention of discarding Itou and his group, though. Thanks to the presence of that man, Kondou had gotten in contact with officials from various clans, and had become a much better orator. The Shinsengumi had changed from a mere band of courageous swordsmen to an organization with political ideology in the eyes of many clans.

"Upon returning to my squad and discussing this matter with my comrades, I shall give you an answer," he replied.

After coming back to the HQ and thinking for several days, Kondou finally mustered up the resolve to part with Itou, and went to discuss things with Toshizou.

"Actually, I already heard about this a few hours ago," Toshizou said. The truth was, on the way home, Kondou had shared his thoughts with Ogata Shuntarou, who then quickly transmitted the information to the entire squad.

"This is your fault too, Toshi. Why didn't you immediately inform me after hearing such good news?"

"Is this good news, I wonder?" Toshizou smirked. "If I had to bet, I'd say the Shinsengumi will split into two groups. The Itou group is already preparing for this. Certain sources also tell me that Utsumi Jirou has apparently begun meeting with someone from Choushuu. You sure it's alright to let the squad split like this?"

"For justice," Kondou declared. "Not for personal fame. It will be easier for us to manuever as direct servants, it will be good for the sake of the country, as well as the Emperor."

"You've really been into reasoning lately," Toshizou smiled dryly. "But I, Kondou-san, haven't thought of anything except strengthening the Shinsengumi. If you want us to become direct servants in order to strengthen us, then I will gladly accept."

"Toshi, you truly are in bliss with your simplicity, aren't you?"

"Haha..." Toshizou simply stared fixedly at Kondou, as if he had gotten tired of discussing things. It seemed like this "loyalist" who was always running around with elders had recently started to think of politics as complex. "I'm not so sure about that. I like to think I've put a considerable amount of thought and dedication into my goal here."

"No, no, you're a very admirable man," Kondou laughed heartily. "I wish I could feel what it's like to be you for a day."

"That's because you have a lot to be troubled over."

"Yes, I do."

Toshizou burst out laughing. Regardless of what he said, he loved this aspect of Kondou. "Incidentally," Toshizou returned to his stern expression. "Isn't there something you need to do before taking that offer?"

"You're talking about Itou?"

"Yes," Toshizou nodded.

Upon becoming direct servants, the Shinsengumi would receive the label of a government-affiliated group along with their fame. Out of all the masterless samurai in the nation, they would be the only ones waving government flags. Of course, the Itou group wouldn't go for it.

The Commandments of the Squad still existed, however. Would they quietly eject the men? Or, would they refuse to bend the iron rules they had instated, and force them upon Itou?

"What will we do?" Toshizou asked.

Kondou was silent. Finally, when it seemed that he had killed off his emotions, he opened his mouth once more, with a sleepy expression. "They must follow the Commandments of the Squad. We've been able to bring the Shinsengumi as far as we have thanks to those rules, and in order to continue on from here, we must not allow them to bend."

"As expected of my Captain. It's reassuring to see you haven't lost those guts of yours."

"By the way," Kondou peered toward Toshizou's face. "I heard you found yourself a woman."

"No," Toshizou panicked. The truth was, he had only returned to O-Yuki's house two times since then, and still had yet to lay a finger on her.

"Hohoh, you're getting red. I can't think of a rarer sight than this," Kondou laughed quietly.

Next: Yohei's Shop

32

2010-06-14T19:37:00.003+09:00

32. O-Yuki

Toshizou let his sword drift over to the right. Above his head was the roof to the gate of the Echizen estate.

The flexible rafters of the structure were bent upwards, as if coaxed by the hand of a beauty, and were sticking up toward the rainy night.

"Villain!" The voice cursing Toshizou with a variety of terms was heavy with a Totsukawa (Nara) accent. Lately, rural samurai from Totsukawa, Yamato had been cropping up in the capital.

'Someone from Totsukawa?' Toshizou was staring straight ahead, with unflinching, starry eyes.

The Vice-Captain had a habit of letting his sword drift gradually to the right, and did not even glance at the naked blade to his left.

Around 19, Tosa native Tanaka Mitsuaki (who became a Baron after the Restoration) visited Ritsujoutou Middle School in Kouchi prefecture to give a speech about his memoirs surrounding the journey from his homeland to the capital during the end of the Tokugawa Period.

"The Shinsengumi were frightening. Especially Hijikata Toshizou. When you saw him leading his soldiers, glaring around with those infamous eyes of his, everyone would go flying into the alleyways like little spiders."

And now, the assassin from Totsukawa was planning to kill this man.

He must have had some guts.

Other men were surrounding Toshizou from a distance, in the rain. The only people in close range of him were Shichiri Kennosuke on the right, and the Totsukawa man on the other side.

In a flash, one blade came searing down towards Toshizou from his left.

Raising his own sword, Toshizou stepped 10cm back towards the pillar behind him. The katana from Totsukawa ripped through the Hidarimitsudomoe crest on the Vice-Captain's sleeve, sinking low enough to carve into the ground.

The assassin's upper body was wide open.

In the next instant, Toshizou's sword sliced through the Totsukawa man's right shoulder straight down to his nipple.

But the one to fall forward was Toshizou.

At the same moment when he attacked the Totsukawa assassin, Shichiri Kennosuke had violently charged him from the right.

There was no choice but to run.

Toshizou tripped himself over the corpse and fell. He got back up quickly. Waiting for him above, however, were Shichiri Kennosuke's dual blades. He wouldn't be able to take both of them and leave alive.

In order to avoid the attack, Toshizou fell once more. His body was far from the gate by now, by the side of a rain-filled moat.

Having the moat behind him was reassuring, but he couldn't see a single tree that would be suitable to act as a shield.

"Ready a lantern," Shichiri calmly ordered to his subordinates.

There were numerous lanterns strung along the alcove of the gate that Toshizou had been using as his fortress up until now.

"Go on, light one," Shichiri commanded in a low voice.

With a flash, the shadow of Toshizou standing by the moat was illuminated.

"Toshizou...looks like the time has come for you to pay up your Bushuu debt."

"I wonder about that." Toshizou was still poised and statue-like, his katana leaning slightly to the right. Despite the softness of his voice, both his eyes were wide open. No matter what kind of fight it was, this man was always prepared for death.

"Tonight will be the night we settle the score." Shichiri leisurely approached, his katana in an upper position.

At that interval, the rain started pouring down hard. Streaks of water splashed on the ground, white drops shining in the light.

"Shichiri. How's the Choushuu food?"

"Pretty bad." Shichiri was also calm. "But, Hijikata..." he kept his eyes carefully fixed on the space between them. "It's been getting better lately. You men of Mibu don't understand the trends of the times."

"Ufu," Toshizou's eyes were the only thing to laugh. "Seems like swordsmen crawling around Bushuu, no matter how much they stink of horseshit, come to talk pretty big after climbing up to the old capital."

"Hey, Toshizou. I'm not the only one who stinks of horseshit here."

'He's right about that,' Toshizou grimaced within.

Shichiri's right leg took a wide step forward, and his sword swung down from above.

Toshizou parried. His hands went numb–the force was unbelievable.

Unable to strike back, Toshizou kept his blade pressed against Shichiri's, pushing the man back one, two steps. He was trying to get into the advantageous position on the ground.

Shichiri tried tripping his foe. Toshizou hastily lifted his legs up.

"What are you guys all doing?!" Shichiri roared into the darkness. "Get him now! C'mon! It's not like this bastard is a demon or something!"

The patter of footsteps could be heard from both sides.

Toshizou summoned up all his strength and charged Shichiri's body as hard as he could. As the assassin fell back, he outstretched his left arm and aimed for the side of Toshizou's face.

However, his sword cut through only air. Toshizou wasn't there any longer, and had run off to the left.

As he fled, the Vice-Captain cut down one man from the side, ducked into an alley on the south side of the Echizen Fukui estate, and ran east. This fighting genius knew that no matter how skilled a swordsman was, they would always be at the disadvantage when outnumbered in a battle.

After coming to Nishinotou Temple, Toshizou finally slowed to a walk, and then gradually turned south.

'Ow,' he pressed down on his left arm.

He found a wound big enough to fit a finger in on his upper arm, unsure of where it had come from in the first place.

That wasn't it, though -- there was also a wound on the back of his right leg. Toshizou had received this one when dodging the attack from the Totsugawa man.

But that wasn't the real problem here. His right thigh felt sticky, and as he lifted his hakama up, he saw a wound about 10 cm long, with blood gushing out of it.

'They really got me back there.'

Toshizou had ointment in his medicine case. Having worked as a pharmacist for many years, he knew that stopping the blood first would be the best thing to do, and quickly took a look around. Dealing with the injury on a wide road like this could mean trouble. He could be spotted by them at any time and attacked once more.

Toshizou searched around for a suitable back alley and slipped inside.

'I wish I had some shouchuu on me,' the Vice-Captain thought. He unsheathed his wakizashi and then began to cut up his hakama, in order to use it as a tourniquet.

That's when it happened: a window over Toshizou's head slid open.

"This is very kind of you." Toshizou stepped into the house, walking straight up onto the tatami. He moved into the back, where the inner well was, and stripped himself naked. This was in order to wash the mud and blood off.

"Please excuse me," he called inside. His voice was subdued. It wouldn't be hard for neighbors to overhear. "I would like to use some of your shouchuu."

There was a large pot of Tetsuyuu brand leftover. On its side was a label written in a beautiful oie style.

'This must be a household of women,' Toshizou thought. At the time, however, any normal house had shouchuu kept for tending to wounds.

"Ah..." the calm female voice returned. "Please use as much as you like. We also have incision ointment. It is called Byakuyukou, from Kawachiya in Kyomachibori, Osaka. It is said to work quite well, would you like some?"

She had a soft way of speaking, but it did not feel like she was forcing any of the words out, and even seemed a bit smart.

"Yes, if you don't mind." Toshizou analyzed the woman's speech. She didn't have a Kyou accent. She sounded more like the daughter of a warrior. 'I wonder where she's from?'

After the window opened and he was invited to enter, Toshizou had rushed inside and taken a glance at her. At that moment, the woman had been standing there, holding a candle with paper wrapped around its bottom as a makeshift lantern.

When passing into the kitchen, Toshizou could remember gulping at how surprisingly beautiful she was.

She appeared to be 25 or 26, and from the looks of her clothes, she didn't seem like a single girl. And yet, she neither appeared to have a husband.

Her house was small. He could tell just from where he stood.

'Oww...' It burned. The shouchuu burned. Even Toshizou felt like he was going to faint.

The Vice-Captain was leaning over the well, clad in only a fundoshi. He was washing his wounds by himself, with no assistance. Such a feat would be impossible for anyone without an exceptionally sturdy spirit.

The woman was watching him from the entranceway, as she lit some lanterns. The fact that she didn't move closer to him was proof that she hailed from a family of samurai.

Paying no mind, Toshizou oiled his own wounds, tying each of the trio with some of the cotton she had given him. "Sorry, but could you please go inform a guard and have him call a palanquin for me?"

"Who are you?"

"Eh?" His wounds were screaming.

"Um, are you..."

"Oh, that's right, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Hijikata Toshizou of the Shinsengumi. If you tell that to a city official, there shouldn't be any problems."

'This person is...?' Toshizou's name had echoed to even the most remote locations of the old capital. The saying that he could silence even a crying baby was no over-exaggeration.

"I owe you great thanks."

"..." The woman nodded in silence. After fumbling around in a corner of the room, she procured an umbrella, and left.

Shortly thereafter, the clear sounds of raised geta returned.

Toshizou's clothes were still dirtied with rain and blood. "If you don't mind..." the woman pulled a set of kuroki crest clothes out of a chest. It wasn't just a haori and hakama, but included a white juban about 2m long. It was most likely the outfit of this house's deceased master.

She placed the outfit on the floor.

'Clever girl,' Toshizou raised his head, staring at the woman in the shadow of the candlelight. She didn't have the face of a Kyou woman at all, and seemed more like one of the women who would take part in the worshiping at Senzouji Temple in Edo on Green Day.

She had smooth eyelids, full lips, and was lightly tanned.

"You're from Edo, aren't you?" Toshizou asked casually, in a tail-accentuated Tama dialect.

"---" The woman, per her habit, stared intently at Toshizou, blinking only a few times. Finally, she nodded, as if to say "yes."

"What's your name?"

"Yuki."

"You're the daughter of a warrior, aren't you?"

"---" The woman was silent. She didn't need to answer.

"It's rare to meet a lady from Edo in the capital. I guess I was lucky tonight."

'Why would a girl from Edo be living in the capital by herself, though?' Despite his suspicion, Toshizou said nothing, and placed a fist on the top of the chest.

"Well, I will accept your kindness only. I still haven't stopped bleeding yet...it'd be a shame if such fine clothes were soiled." Toshizou wrapped his naked body up in the cloth, grabbed his swords, and then stood up.

"Are you going to return like that?" The look in her eyes expressed how incredulous she was that the famous Vice-Captain of the Shinsengumi would reveal himself in such a state. "Please, take them."

She didn't give him time to answer; the request was more like a command. The crisp sound of the woman's order sounded so nostalgic to Toshizou that he almost felt like it was making him more dizzy. This was a flavor that no Kyou woman possessed. Edo women, despite their gentleness and repressed natures, would always have their partners follow them.

'Ah, I forgot all about this feeling...'

Toshizou grew up in rural government-owned land, and had always lusted after the women who lived over 50km away in Edo. Since these feelings still remained in his heart, Toshizou just couldn't get used to the soft-hearted women of the capital.

"In that case, I shall borrow them." As he passed his hands over the fabric, Toshizou was surprised to see a Hidarimitsudomoe crest. "What a strange coincidence," he stared at the design. 'Things may not turn out so bad with this one.'

The woman was being extremely reserved in her behavior, but there was clear affection for the man in her eyes. Whether that affection stemmed simply from the fact that he was a man of the same eastern land as she, or whether it was toward the being known as Hijikata Toshizou itself, is unclear.

Eventually, the landlord, his manager, and a town official came to greet their guest.

The landlord was the owner of the Oumiya pawnshop out front, and the manager was a withered old man named Jihei.

"I will return soon to pay you my thanks." Toshizou was walked out into a palanquin, whereupon he left.

Meanwhile, the HQ was in an uproar. After being informed by the servant Fujiyoshi, Harada Sanosuke and Okita Souji had taken their divisions out to search the neighborhood, but could find no one, alive or dead.

Toshizou still had yet to return, so the men gradually took their search out to the far corners of Kyou. That is about the time when the Vice-Captain strolled back into the HQ, wearing a well-ironed outfit.

"What's going on?"

After hearing the news from some soldiers, Toshizou merely smirked, walked inside and shut himself into his room. A doctor was soon called to tend to the man's wounds. After he left, Okita Souji came in.

"You sure know how to agitate people."

"Sorry."

"What happened?"

"I ran into Shichiri Kennosuke again in front of the Echizen Fukui estate. It's like that bastard's possessed me or something."

"Sure sounds like you're having enough fun with him, alright." Okita unsheathed the blood and rain-stained Izumi-No-Kami Kanesada. Countless bloodclouds were tattooed across the blade. "And it looks like you've been busy, too."

"They almost had me. Their group must have hid in the Doshuu or Satsuma estate after Choushuu retreated from the capital. There was even a guy from Totsugawa. From the way he was commanding them around, it seems like Shichiri has made a sufficient name for himself here."

"From what our scouts heard, Shichiri keeps saying that he'll be the one to kill you, no matter what."

"Son of a bitch is cursing me."

"Ufu," Okita laughed. 'It's all because you didn't want to play nice with him,' his impish eyes said.

"By the way, Souji," Toshizou said with scintillated eyes. "I think I've fallen in love with a woman."

"Eh?" Okita brightened up.

Toshizou had never used words like 'love' in regards to a woman before.

"Don't you dare tell anyone in the squad. Not even when Kondou comes back from Geishuu."

"If you're that worried, then why did you even tell me in the first place?"

"You're special."

"Only I'm special? This is like torture!"

"Hah...it's perfect for you."

Around ten days later, Toshizou had the borrowed clothes washed and re-sowed, then took them to Oumiya. There, the landlord called out the manager and sat down.

Toshizou found out that the woman was the wife of a vassal from Oogaki named Kada Shinjirou who was stationed in Edo. After his clan was ordered to come protect the capital, Kada initially came up by himself. Moving to a new station by one's self was normal in all clans, regardless of status, so Kada naturally did not bring his wife or children with him.

However, O-Yuki demonstrated some peculiar behavior, and actually followed her husband to Kyou on her own, quietly living in the town like this and keeping things secret from the clan itself. This wasn't to say the two were especially close, however. O-Yuki had artistic talent, and even to this day, several of her pieces remain in both Kyou and Tokyo under the pen name Kouka. Her artistic skill, however, was not as exceptional as her character.

The reason O-Yuki came up to Kyou was to study Shijou Maruyama style under the artist Yoshida Nagamichi. Not long after, her husband died of illness. O-Yuki was left alone in the capital. She should have returned immediately to her own home in Edo, but as her family ran the Kaneiji Temple, they were quite wealthy. As long as their financial assistance kept coming, she could manage to keep living her days in peace.

Next: Red & White

31

2010-06-14T19:22:00.003+09:00

31. Rain on Hori River

That day, Toshizou took a servant with him and traveled to the Aizu HQ in Kurodani at noon. By the time he left, night had already fallen. It was also raining, unfortunately.

The Aizu elder Tanaka Tosa and official Tojima Kihei had both come to walk the man to the gate. "Hijikata-sensei, why don't you stay here for the night and return in the morning?" they suggested.

Currently, the Shinsengumi had relocated their HQ to Kashiyouchou (now a nameless section of Samegai Shichijou Horikawa. At the time, it was also called Fudondou Village), and that is where Toshizou immediately headed. From the eastern area of Kurodani, it was about a 8km walk into the center of Kyou.

What Tanaka and Tojima had been worried about was whether Toshizou would be able to safely reach the HQ on this dark, rainy night. After all, the man had brought neither guards nor a horse with him.

"Please stay here," Tanaka Tosa peered out into the dark rain from the light of the entranceway. "By all means," he insisted, tugging on Toshizou's sleeve.

Tojima Kihei did the same. "As we discussed earlier, Choushuu, holding their ground as the two clans Suono and Nagato, have been sending spies through the city lately. Masterless samurai from Doshuu have also been sympathetic to Choushuu, and more of them have been popping up here. We both believe in your valiant strength, Hijikata-sensei, but by chance, if something were to happen..."

"Yes, you have a point," Toshizou replied apathetically, turning his back to the men and sliding his feet into the tall geta his servant had prepared.

"Well then, shall we send some of our guards with you?" Tanaka Tosa asked.

"No," Toshizou replied bluntly. "I'm fine."

And with that, he left.

"What a strange man," Tanaka Tosa later remarked to his associate, not without a bit of discomfort.

Kondou left with Itou Kashitarou for Hiroshima in the middle of the eleventh month, and had yet to return. During that time, Toshizou was the temporary Force Captain, which meant he had been going to meet with the Aizu clan more than he usually did. Of course, his countenance was always like that. He would never ride up to the HQ on a horse like Kondou did.

"Seems like he has great confidence in his strength."

"I doubt there's any real reason. He probably just likes walking by himself. It's just his nature. In that respect, he's of a different breed than our boorishly gaudy friend Kondou." Tojima Kihei, who had known Toshizou for years now, laughed.

If one were to ask Tojima, they would find that instead of the office-loving (politics-loving) Kondou, he much preferred the silent, yet capable nature of Hijikata.

"By the way," Tanaka Tosa, who didn't much care for Toshizou's rude behavior, added. "It doesn't seem like he has a woman, either."

It was surprising to Tanaka Tosa, when compared to the two mistress houses Kondou owned, and the way the man always walked flashily through the town surrounded by women.

"Indeed, he doesn't appear to."

"He looks like a sternly handsome guy. I suppose the women don't really go for that type, huh?"

"I don't know about that. Did you hear about Shinonome Dayuu from Kizuya in Shimabara?"

"Ah, yes. She is said to be quite a beauty. You say she's taken a fancy to that man?"

"No..." Tojima Kihei paused, as if searching for the right expression. He wasn't exactly sure how to phrase that type of relationship.

This information stemmed from a time when Tojima Kihei had once accompanied Kondou and Hijikata to a brothel.

Toshizou's partner for the night had been Shinonome Dayuu.

Shimabara was one of the finest red-light districts in Japan, on par with Edo's Yoshiwara. Women in these establishments who had been raised to the position of Dayuu came with pride in their thorough education in the arts, and therefore did not have to butter up their guests.

Rather, it was the guests who attempted to butter up the Dayuu, and those who did exceptional jobs at it were seen as dilettantes in the neighborhood.

Kondou was very skilled at entertaining his companions. Aside from becoming intimate with Kogane Dayuu at Kizuya, he also sired a child with a Sanbongi geisha named Komano, and became intimate with a geisha named Ueno from the same establishment, earning him a godlike reputation.

But, as with all things, that wasn't all.

While out on business in Osaka, he would often go to the Furumai Teahouse in Shinmachi. After taking a liking to a woman named Miyuki Dayuu from Oriya, he had the master of the eight Osaka Shinsengumi lodgings, Kyouya Chuubei, pay off her debt, and then had her live in the Samegai Kizuya Kyounan Estate he had been renting from Koushouji Temple. She soon died from illness, but since Miyuki Dayuu's younger sister greatly resembled her, Kondou took the girl as a replacement. Aside from that, Kondou had another woman at an establishment called Yamamayu in the lower right district of Gion, whom he often visited.

It's plain to see that Kondou was quite the philanderer. Around this time, officials from the Osu clan stationed in Kyou (working as diplomats) would often meet in these districts to go enjoy themselves to an excess, but it's fair to say that men who had as many as women as Kondou were quite rare. At one point, there were even rumors saying that half of the Aizu clan's expenses were all going into the dresser drawers of the Force Captain's women. That, however, was not true.

A large amount of the personal money Kondou used came from a man in Osaka named Kounoike Zeneimon. He was often targeted by men claiming to be loyalists demanding forced loans for "army funds to expel the barbarians," and in order to protect himself from this, had called upon the Shinsengumi, providing Kondou with donations for his services. It was with this pocket change that Kondou wined and dined his women. The official Tojima Kihei, who acted as the mediator between the Aizu clan and the Shinsengumi, knew all of this.

'It's amazing to think the man gets around that much without drinking any sake,' Tojima marveled to himself, time and time again. In his eyes, however, Hijikata Toshizou was different.

He drank a little. It didn't seem like the Vice-Captain was that fond of it; he merely lapped at it languidly.

But as far as his treatment of women went...

"Yes, I heard it from Shinonome Dayuu. From the minute she stepped into the room with that man, he didn't utter a single word."

He had been so quiet, in fact, that Shinonome Dayuu wasn't able to resist telling the story to her fellow workers, giving him quite a reputation. Toshizou merely piled up his sake cups and kept his mouth shut. It appeared that his mind was on other things.

"...Hijikata-san," Shinonome Dayuu could barely manage to look at him as she spoke. From watching his drinking habits until now, she could tell he wasn't a fan of alcohol. "...you don't have to..." she closed the lid, "drink any more sake. You don't like it very much, do you?"

"You're right, I don't," Toshizou answered listlessly.

"Then you should stop. Sitting there and drinking something you don't like over and over is like putting poison into your body."

"Oh really." As he spoke, Toshizou reached across and lifted Shinonome Dayuu's hand off the lid. "And yet, it seems to be the lesser of two evils here."

Toshizou had always disliked these kinds of women. He was never interested in them when he saw them prowling around the inn districts of Bushuu, and those sentiments hadn't changed since coming to Kyou.

'Ah.' Even the usually gentle Shinonome Dayuu could not stop herself from turning red with rage at the figure of Toshizou sipping sake with a bored expression as usual. He was an abnormality.

Shinonome Dayuu had never seen such a rude customer in Shimabara before. After her anger subsided, and her pride and resilience rattled and collapsed, she looked at him once more. It was then when she was suddenly attacked, and Shinonome Dayuu began to feel that she liked this man.

"Shall we deepen our relationship?" In the morning, as if appealing to the man, she got him to share a bed with her.

"But," Shinonome Dayuu later remarked to her co-workers, "he was a surprisingly gentle man."

As it was a rule of the establishment, she did not reveal what happened between her and her customer in bed, but the other girls had a fairly decent idea. It was their guesses that later reached the ears of Tojima Kihei.

"Then what happened?" the scrupulous Tanaka Tosa asked.

"After that, he made two or three other visits to Kizuya along with Kondou, and met with Shinonome Dayuu, but apparently acted exactly the same as he did the first time."

"Including the gentleness after sleeping with her?"

"I expect so."

Later, Shinonome Dayuu had her debt paid by a Kyou money exchanger. At that time, she sent a messenger to the HQ, requesting that she wanted Toshizou to "come for one final visit."

Toshizou, thinking that there was no point in going to visit the type of woman who would allow herself to be bought out like that, did not heed her request, nor did he set another foot into Shimabara.

Shinonome Dayuu resented him for this, and, unable to contain her emotions, bit off a piece of her own pinky finger, creating an uproar.

And yet, Toshizou still did not go.

"What a frighteningly cold-hearted person. I bet that man really did care for Shinonome Dayuu, and that's why he didn't go."

"If he really cared for her, he would have gone to say goodbye to her, even if it meant breaking down a wall to do it."

"I suppose you're right."

"He's a complete enigma. Anyway..." As he spoke, Tojima Kihei laughed. There was no way he could have known that something had happened to Toshizou the day before he first met with Shinonome Dayuu.

The incident in question happened on the the twenty-first day of the ninth month of 1863 (Bunkyuu 3), when Toshizou met with the woman who had been working for the Kujou house, Sawatari Sae, for the first time since leaving Bushuu, in a back alley of Fuyamachi. On top of the aged tatami in that rented house, he had become one with Sae once more, in a way only the brusque Toshizou could, but at that moment he realized that Sae had changed. Indeed, she had, leaving Toshizou with no choice but to suspect that she had a lover.

Toshizou didn't blame the woman for her sudden change of heart. He had no right to. In Bushuu, Toshizou had lain with Sae without any sort of promise or talk about a relationship -- out of pure coincidence, one could say. Sae most likely thought the same. The divorcee had sought out a fleeting liason with a wild young man from places unknown, just for some temporary amusement, and nothing more. All through her journey to and life in Kyou, Sae had had her own life. And in truth, Sae had found herself a man during the time she worked for the government-affiliated elder Kujou. He was attempting to use her to gain insider government information, and so naturally she worked for him as a lover.

"I know Hijikata," Sae revealed to Yonezawa, promptly deciding that "he should be cut down."

And so Yonezawa began planning Hijikata's assassination, calling on the assistance of a Bushuu samurai named Shichiri Kennosuke, who was currently working for the Choushuu estate. Since his days in Bushuu, the grudge Shichiri bore toward Toshizou had not simmered.

"You don't even need to request something like that from me," Shichiri answered, later ambushing Toshizou at Nijou-Hanjikichou Crossing.

It was on the next day that Toshizou went with Tojima and Kondou to Kizuya in Shimabara to meet with Shinonome Dayuu for the first time.

'I feel like I'm incomplete, like there's something missing...like I'll never be able to fall in love,' Toshizou thought that night. 'It's better not to think about such mundane things...I've always had nothing but shallow feelings towards women.'

He had his sword, though. He had the Shinsengumi. And he had Kondou, Toshizou kept telling himself. 'That should be enough. That should have been more than enough to merit my life a well-lived one. Got it, Toshi?'

That evening, after walking through the night streets of Kyou a bit, Toshizou stopped to get a Yoshi palanquin, which resulted in him cutting down several of Shichiri's underlings. And the following evening, he was drinking sake at Kizuya.

It was no surprise that Shinonome Dayuu found this naturally strange man to be rather odd. Of course, though, there was no way Tojima Kihei could have known this much.

"Well, that's the gist of it," he finished. "He's just another one of the interesting characters here in our capital. I believe he may be a few levels more advanced than Kondou when it comes to organizing people, though. Do you remember the story about Toyotomi Hideyoshi praising Ootani Gyoubu, saying that he wanted to see what the man could do with an army of 100,000 men? That's a pretty good description of how I feel every time I see Hijikata."

One hour later, Toshizou was walking west along Marutamachi Road, and had just reached the Hori River. From here, the lanterns of Nijou Castle were visible. Continuing down this road over a small bridge to the west would lead him to the Kyou magistrate's Horikawa estate.

Toshizou did not cross it, though. From here, he would have to head down the east beach of the Hori River, turn south, and then walk another 3km to reach the Shinsengumi HQ.

"Fujiyoshi, are you tired?" Toshi asked his servant. It was still pouring.

"No, sir. My legs are about the only thing I have confidence in." Fujiyoshi spoke in the rain. He was walking in front of Toshizou with a lantern strapped to his hips.

Toshizou was holding his bamboo umbrella up high, in order to protect the black crepe haori and Sendaihira hakama he had on. Sheathed on his waist was the blade with which he had killed so many men up until now that he could no longer keep track, the Izumi-No-Kami Kanesada. The wakizashi he was carrying was the Horikawa Kokuhiro, which he had first used back in the Ikedaya incident last summer.

"Fujiyoshi," Toshizou said. "From here on the road's pretty rough."

"Yes, sir."

"When traveling on muddy roads, run by piercing the tips of your toes into the ground. If you do that you not only will be able to move faster, but you won't trip either," Toshizou finished his unusual explanation.

Fujiyoshi could not comprehend why this normally mute representative Force Captain was giving him advice all of a sudden.

"Fujiyoshi, throw your umbrella to the back when you run. Understand?"

"Yes, sir?" Fujiyoshi tilted his head and looked to Toshizou. "Shall I drop it now, then?"

"Hold on to it for a little longer. But you'll have to throw it away soon. I'm going to shout your name. When I do, drop both your umbrella and lantern, and run as if your life depended on it. No matter what happens, do not look back."

"And if I do?"

"..." Toshizou continued walking in silence. He was tilting his own umbrella to the back, as if listening for something.

Finally, he opened his mouth again. "Fujiyoshi, did you say something just now?"

"No sir, just asked you what'll happen if I look back."

"You'll get hurt, that's all," Toshizou answered bluntly.

To the right, the white wall of Nijou Castle floated in the darkness of Hori River. Countless clan estates continued down to the left. After clearing the gate to the Banshuu Himeji estate, they could see the wall to Fukui Matsudaira's Echizen estate on the edge of Nijou Road.

It was in front of this gate that Toshizou shouted sharply.

"Fujiyoshi!"

At that moment, Toshizou threw his umbrella up into the sky, sinking his hips and kneeling down to his right, in a dexterous swerve.

Psssht.

Toshizou's hands brought forth an unsettling sound.

In the next instant, a shadow somersaulted toward Toshizou's right hand. Just as it seemed like the dark figure was going to fall, another loud sound erupted from the sludge. The stench of blood was swallowed up by blackness.

By that time, Toshizou had already leaped back a few steps. With his sword in a lower right stance, and the gate to the Echizen estate acting as a shield behind him, he spoke.

"Who might you fellows be?"

Three still stood in the darkness.

"Good job waiting diligently in the rain like this. Just in case you might have the wrong person -- I am Hijikata Toshizou of the Shinsengumi, and I am prepared to fight with all my strength, until my last dying breath."

"Yes," a voice from the darkness about 20 meters away answered. "We know."

'Ahh,' Toshizou thought. That shrill voice was unforgettable.

It was Shichiri Kennosuke.

"Villain!" A high-pitched, nervous voice called out from the left, its owner clearing the short distance to Toshizou.

This moonless night was illuminated only by slivers of light from the falling rain, each drop quietly wetting the darkness.

Next: O-Yuki

30

2010-06-14T19:16:00.003+09:00

30. Clouds Over Shijou Bridge

The fifth month of 1864 (Keiou 1): one could call it the peak of Meiji Restoration history.

In order to supervise the Second Suppression of Choushuu, the shogun Iemochi entered the capital. It was the first time a shogun had rode up to Nijou Castle waving his golden fan in battle regalia since Ieyasu's reign.

"The government's authority will greatly increase," many citizens speculated.

The truth, however, was that the government had neither the capital nor the military power needed to put a stop to Choushuu. And that wasn't the only problem. After already having killed the three elders who swore allegiance to Choushuu, the government didn't really have any justification left to punish them a second time. Still, they forced the necessity as much as possible and managed to summon up an army, simultaneously digging their own graves.

In regards to the Suppression of Choushuu, the shogun's family, the Tokugawa family's branch clans, and daimyo both trusted and outer were almost all in opposition. The only entity who strongly lobbied for the punishment was the clan in charge of protecting Kyou: the Aizu clan, and the Shinsengumi it controlled. To be more accurate, however, the real ringleader was Kondou himself.

"The best plan would be to send soldiers into the territories of both Suono and Nagato, destroy them, and then confiscate the 360,000 koku of the Mouri family, thereby firmly cutting off the root of all evil in our nation."

This was the policy Kondou insisted on during talks with the Aizu elders in the first month of 1864 (Keiou 1). Of course, he never thought this simple plan would end up becoming a fatal move for the government. Intellect-wise, his mind was merely that of a soldier's.

"A fine idea!" Not one of the Aizu men had any objections.

The Aizu debates held by the Aizu elders and Kondou Isami ended up becoming rather heated, and news of them soon spread, eventually reaching the ears of Echizen Fukui's radical leader, Matsudaira Yoshinaga.

A translation of a memorandum the man wrote reads:

"It seems that the government has great confidence in their plans for the Second Suppression of Choushuu. Officials are even saying that defeating Choushuu will be no more difficult than squashing an egg. Incidentally, some say that the eight western clans have been waiting for situations of upheaval like this to happen, specifically: Satsuma, Tosa, Owari Tokugawa, Matsudaira of Echizen (Yoshinaga himself), Hosokawa of Higo, Nabeshima of Hizen, Kuroda of Chikuzen, and Ikeda of Inshuu. 'These clans had previously pledged loyalty solely to the Emperor, and are traitors who should be detested. After the suppression of Choushuu is finished, these eight should gradually be the next to go,' they say. One person even warned me, saying 'You act very faithful to the government on the outside, but should be cautious as to your true intentions.' It seems like all this is the truth indeed."

The same could be said for Kondou's feelings as well. While the Force Captain was acting like a loyalist and participating in politics with the Aizu clan, his opinions were inadvertently becoming that of the government's. Kondou's tenacious persuasions reached the Aizu elders, who then sent the messages straight to Edo.

At the time, every government elite with the exception of Katsu Kaishu were imbeciles beyond all help when it came to politics. Therefore, the opinions from the government representative in Kyou, the Aizu clan -- or, to be more specific, the opinions of the Shinsengumi itself, were taken as important analyses of the nation's conditions that deserved to be heeded to the last letter.

The reason the government suddenly took a firm stance like this was because they secretly had a promise of backing from Emperor Napoleon III, which the French Minister of Japan, Leon Roche had been desperately persuading the government to accept. Of course, the government had no way of predicting that the current French Emperor was destined to lose his life only a few years later.

After hearing news that the shogun was to come up to Kyou, Kondou embraced Toshizou in joy. "Now things will really get interesting!"

Aizu took responsibility over the shogun, while the Shinsengumi became the core of the clan, their popularity skyrocketing.

"The land belongs to Aizu now," some people said, "it's only a matter of time before they get a 1,000,000 koku stipend!" It was getting so bad that no one even had any idea where all these rumors were coming from anymore.

"Keep the rejoicing to a moderation," Toshizou said, revealing a satire that someone had posted on Sanjou Bridge, recovered by a spy.

Their (Aizu clan's) divorce

earned them a great new wife

and wish to share a cup with the long-faced (Choushuu)?

"It's well-written."

Toshizou cocked his head much like a poet would. "Idiot. Who'd ever feel moved from a piece of shit like this?"

"No, no, you don't often see the words lined up so expertly like this," Kondou snickered.

"I'm ripping it up," he said. It would be safe to say the Vice-Captain was not a fan of jest and banter.

"Someone's spy must have written this."

"I doubt it's something as light as that."

Currently, the number of daimyo who sympathized with Choushuu was rising steadily, along with the masses of Kyou who felt pity about the ignominious defeat Choushuu had suffered. This could possibly be due to the fact that back when Choushuu was doing well in Kyou, they spent money in an exorbitantly generous fashion to draw attention to themselves.

The night before the shogun arrived in the capital, Kondou stayed up all night in the headquarters, sonorously reading aloud the pages of his beloved "The Unofficial History of Japan."

"Sounds great," Toshizou nodded in approval.

Kondou made some mistakes in reading the kanji once in a while, confusing the Japanese and Chinese readings, and would often come to an abrupt stop and begin coughing. Despite all that, though, his voice was piercing and magnificent.

When he got to the part about the Kenmu Restoration, Kondou burst into tears, but did not allow that to interrupt his delivery. And so, Emperor Godaigo defeated Houjou in Kamakura, with Kusunoki Masashige acting as the forerunner to restore the empire in the capital.

Kondou considered himself to be the Kusunoki Masashige of this time, and Emperor Godaigo to be the shogun Iemochi. The common man who rose to become a hero, Masashige, the execution of loyalty, the wandering Emperor, it all completely fit his current mental state.

"Toshizou, if I'm Kusunoki Masashige, than that means you must take the role of Onjino Sakon!"

"Yeah, I guess." Toshizou humored the man as best he could. "Those guys were all priests, bandits, and rural samurai from the Kongou Mountains in Kawachi, all unknown men, so I suppose they aren't too different from us."

"I'm not talking about backgrounds, I'm talking about roles."

"I don't really care about that. But if you want to talk about roles in the new organization, then we should probably call Itou-kun here as well."

"Okay!" Kondou went to call Itou Kashitarou.

Itou came into the room wearing an elegant, white silk summer haori with his family crest painted in black on it. As usual, he looked just as handsome as an actor.

"I hear a new system of organization has been created?" he asked, sitting down.

'Weirdo.' Toshizou didn't understand men like Itou.

Ever since he joined the squad, Itou had not taken a single part in the activities of the squad, had instead gone out every day to engage in discussions with clans such as Satsuma, Echizen, and Tosa, who had begun to take a critical and opposing stance toward the government. (At this time, Satsuma was still officially against Choushuu and had partnered with the Aizu clan. With that said, they were not purely pro-government, and what their next move would be was rather unclear, so the government became increasingly cautious and curried favor from them even more than usual.)

"I want to travel around to various clans, especially in the Kyushu area, and discuss matters with them," Kondou declared. In other words, while inspecting the states of the Western territories, he intended to engage in political talks with other loyalists and explain the position of the Shinsengumi to them.

"Sounds fine to me."

Kondou was ecstatic. Sadly enough, though, from Toshizou's point of view, it seemed that Kondou liked this intellectual-esque behavior a bit too much for his own good. The only thing he had been doing lately was traveling down to Gion and conversing with officials from other clans who were stationed in Kyou.

Strangely enough, however, what Toshizou heard claimed that the most verbose character at every discussion had been Kondou himself.

"Be careful of Itou." Toshizou had said this time and time again to the man. Despite treating his Vice-Captain like a brother, however, Kondou did not heed this warning.

"From here on out, we of the Shinsengumi must become distinguished patriots. We must spread our beliefs throughout the nation, expressing our ideas to the shogun and his elders, and gain as much public recognition regarding our abilities as we can."

"I wonder about that," Toshizou objected. He saw the Shinsengumi as nothing more than a band of swordsmen. His goal for the group was to rise them up to become the greatest militia the shogun had ever commanded, not some political organization. The government would most likely consider them a needless annoyance, anyway.

"I wonder about that." Kondou gave his Vice-Captain a sour face in return. He was unsatisfied with his subordinate's work as of late. For the right-hand man of someone actively involved with politics, Toshizou left much to be desired.

'If only he was educated...' Gradually, the eyes with which Kondou looked upon Toshizou became colder and colder.

And in return, Kondou's gaze began to incline more and more towards Itou Kashitarou.

"Itou-san." He addressed the man with respect, sometimes going as far as to say "Itou-sensei." Compared to how he referred to his childhood friend as merely "Toshi," the difference was like night and day.

Itou was a talented songwriter. While there was nothing intriguing about the short songs he wrote, they were faithful to songwriting traditions from the past, making them like expert textbook examples.

After leaving Edo to come ally with the Shinsengumi, Itou wrote this song in Oomori:

I left behind more than trees have leaves

parting with it all, like I brush white dew from this sleeve

Now, I must sing about the feelings in my heart toward this world I live in

and if I am to provide earnest service to my Lord

then I must scatter my own heart as if it were my greatest enemy

"Oh my, isn't that the Unofficial History of Japan?" Itou peered over at the book Kondou was grasping.

"That's right. I'm a fan of Kusunoki Masashige."

"Ahhh..." Itou broke into a wide grin. As a student of Mito ideology, Itou also worshiped Kusunoki Masashige as a being more divine than God Himself. "As expected from our great Kondou-sensei."

'What a shitbrained idiot,' Toshizou mused. The Kusunoki-loving Kondou was the recipient of favor from the Tokugawa shogun. It was the complete antithesis of what the Emperor-revering Itou Kashitarou should have been hoping for.

"The other day, when I left the capital to go visit Osaka Port, I stopped by the forest near Hyougo's Minato River to visit the grave of Kusunoki Masashige. At that moment, I compiled by thoughts into a poem...ah, excuse me!"

With that, Itou instantly broke into a vigorous recital of his self-written poem.

from where do we come, to where do we go

may I and my allies also someday rest in peace

like the one under this monument on this mossy bank

"Wonderful." Kondou nodded, as if he completely understood Itou's feelings. Toshizou had turned the other way.

"Oh, that's right, Hijikata-san. You wanted to talk about the new organization, I believe?" With an expression as if he had suddenly jumped back into reality, Itou turned his white face toward the man.

Toshizou directed Itou's eyes toward the draft sitting near Kondou's hands.

"Military Advisor: Itou Kashitarou," it read.

This was the result of something that had already been discussed with Itou himself. The placement of not only Itou but his subordinates as well had all been decided by his designations.

With this origanization, they got rid of the "Jokin" system and, using the standard government militia as an example, restructured themselves in a way that much resembled the French military of the time.

"This is truly a fine accomplishment," Itou said, looking at Toshizou as if reconsidering the man.

"Nah, Hijikata-san's just an expert at this kind of stuff," Kondou said happily. At the very least, Kondou believed that there was no man on the earth who could match Toshizou's genius when it came to organization.

The new organization was as follows:

Force Captain: Kondou Isami Masayoshi

Vice-Captain: Hijikata Toshizou Yoshitoyo

Military Advisor: Itou Kashitarou Takeaki

Division Captains:

1st Division: Okita Souji

2nd Division: Nagakura Shinpachi

3rd Division: Saitou Hajime

4th Division: Matsubara Chuuji

5th Division: Takeda Kanryuusai

6th Division: Inoue Genzaburou

7th Division: Tani Sanjuurou

8th Division: Toudou Heisuke

9th Division: Suzuki Mikisaburou

10th Division: Harada Sanosuke

Corporals: Okuzawa Eisuke, Kawashima Katsuji, Shimada Kai, Hayashi Shintarou, Maeno Gorou, Abe Juurou, Hashimoto Kaisuke, Ibaraki Tsukasa, Ohara Kouzou, Kondou Yoshisuke, Kanou Washio, Nakanishi Noboru, Itou Tetsugorou, Kumebe Juurou, Tomiyama Yahei, Nakamura Kosaburou, Ikeda Kotarou, Katsurayama Buhachirou.

Spy Division: Shinohara Tainoshin, Yoshimura Kanichirou, Yamazaki Susumu, Ogata Shuntarou, Ashitani Noboru, Arai Tadao.

Underlined are the names of men that Itou brought from Edo. As for the other three who didn't make the cut, Hattori Takeo became the squad swordsmanship instructor and was treated like an officer, and Sano Shimenosuke and Utsumi Jirou were left as normal soldiers. It was implied, though, that since both of them were so skilled, that depending on how they completed their duties they would soon be promoted to an official position.

"That sounds fine." Itou answered, showing little interest. "I am thankful for my position as Military Advisor," was the only comment he had to make.

The post of Military Advisor was exactly the same as Yamanami Keisuke's "General Captain" post, and meant that Itou was only an aide to Kondou, and had no direct control over the troops.

"I hope to join the ranks of heroic men working for the Shinsengumi, and keep the squad's righteous mission from going astray."

"I wish for the same," Kondou bowed his head.

"I will write a song to commemorate this occasion." Itou pulled out a small piece of paper, and quickly began writing on it with a noble Shourenin Temple brush.

countless

bodies fallen upon the autumn field

lost, sleeping away from home

all for the sake of the country

'Even his songs mock us,' Toshizou thought, the figure of Yamanami Keisuke drifting into his mind.

Apparently, before his escape to Edo, Yamanami made a promise about something with Itou. And so, after the man's death, Itou mourned Yamanami by penning songs dedicated to the man, and showed them to everyone in the squad. This song had been making strange ripples through the squad as of late, and even Toshizou came to know it.

if a man dies in his quest to become a protector of the Emperor in this disheveled, back-haired world

should we mourn him, as he is blown along by the spring wind, to bloom alongside the mountain sakura?

'What a bastard,' Toshizou frowned.

Itou Kashitarou's popularity along his fellow soldiers rose with each coming day, however, subscribing more and more men up to the nearly religious "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" ideology.

As Toshizou discovered this, he would accuse each man of some other illegality they may have committed, and forced every last one to commit seppuku.

"Ideology is like poison to the Shinsengumi." This was the creed from which Toshizou would not flinch.

Kondou was much more absorbed in politics and ideology than he was in the affairs of the squad. Itou acted as usual, going in and out of the residences of radicals like Sanmikyou in Ohara to discuss national affairs.

Only Toshizou was left behind to drown himself in squad business. Out of all the officers, only he had not designated a relaxation chamber for himself outside of the headquarters, and lived solely inside, glaring to and fro with those quirky eyes of his.

Soon, summer came.

Despite the orders from the government signaling the beginning of the Second Suppression of Choushuu, nothing seemed to be happening, as if the entire world was in a deadlock. After relocating to Osaka Castle, the shogun had fallen ill, and still had yet to order the army to mobilize. Of course, this was partly because they hadn't allocated the necessary funds, but it was also due to the fact that the clans who had agreed to participate had not arrived. At this time, however, there was something happening behind the scenes that even the government itself was not aware of. The Satsuma clan, who until now had been on friendly terms with Aizu, had completely reversed their stance and became supporters of Choushuu planning to topple the government. With Sakamoto Ryouma, Captain of the Doshuu Kaientai (Naval Auxiliary Force) acting as the mediator, Satsuma signed a secret pact of alliance with Choushuu. It is here that history took a sudden turn towards revolution–but this was something to which the government and its limbs, the Aizu clan and the Shinsengumi, were completely oblivious.

Even fall brought no signs of orders from the government. And in the eleventh month, the government merely sent out messengers to inform Choushuu of their accusations, a very timid move.

The senior envoy to this mission was Great Inspector Nagai Mondonoshou Naomune. The meeting was held in Hiroshima, Geishuu, at Kokutaiji Temple. Surprisingly enough, members of this government-representing party included Kondou Isami, Itou Kashitarou, Takeda Kanryuusai, and Ogata Shuntarou.

'I wonder which idiot decided this one. How the hell is that going to help anything?' Toshizou, who had been left behind to watch over the HQ, thought to himself.

Of course, Kondou and Itou were not there as government representatives. They were disguised as retainers of Nagai, and Kondou had even changed his name to Kondou Kuranosuke.

At this time, Choushuu, through the services of Sakamoto Ryouma, had been able to purchase a large quantity of state-of-the-art artillery from English merchants in Nagasaki, and were already preparing for the deciding battle.

The representative who came to Kokutaiji Temple from the Choushuu side was introduced as the elder Shishido Bingonosuke. Of course, that was a bald-faced lie, and the actual man who came to the meeting was Yamagata Hanzou (Shishido Tamaki, who became a Lesser Baron after the Restoration, and a member of the House of Lords), a middle-class warrior who was the youngest of three boys and a fast talker. He temporarily took the name of a elder, "Shishido," and was made into a makeshift messenger. From the start, Choushuu had no intention to take these talks seriously.

With this, Toshizou was alone in the old capital.

Lately, he had been busy cutting down any wandering samurai who seemed like they were of Choushuu descent, but that could do nothing to shake the odd twinge of loneliness he was feeling.

Bringing Okita Souji along, he traveled down to Shijou Bridge near the restaurant in Gion he always went to. There, Toshizou stood and watched the sky, painted with the glow of twilight, and the autumn clouds drifting off to the east.

"Souji, look, there are some clouds."

"Yep, those are definitely clouds." Okita stood and looked up as well. From his magnolia-legged geta, a long shadow was stretching down the bridge.

Warriors and townspeople avoided the two men as they crossed the bridge, most likely wondering what the two Shinsengumi men were pondering.

"I just thought of a poem," Toshizou said. It would be the first new work in a while from Master Hougyoku.

"I bet it's another stinker," Okita snickered. But Toshizou was not deterred, pulling his notebook out and starting to write.

Okita peered over.

May clouds, hurrying towards my homeland

"Hey, it's November now, you know."

"But May clouds have the sort of grace and liveliness I'm looking for. Autumn and winter clouds are too depressing."

"I see," Okita silently began walking.

The young man was frightened by how much he understood how Toshizou was feeling at this moment.

Next: Rain on the Hori River

29

2010-06-14T19:10:00.003+09:00

29. Toshizou, Hated

Before dawn on the twenty-first day of the second month of 1864 (Keiou 1), General Captain of the Shinsengumi, Yamanami Keisuke, left a letter addressed to Kondou Isami in the headquarters and fled.

'Yamanami did that?' It was still night for Toshizou, as he sat in the pitch black depths of his room and listened to the report. Standing in the hallway was the informant, Yamazaki Susumu.

"You're sure it was Yamanami-kun?"

"Well...there was the letter he left, and his room. Both his long and short swords were gone, as well as his belongings, and the man himself was nowhere to be found, which led us to this assumption."

"Show me the letter." Toshizou said casually, as he used a spill to light a lantern.

However, Yamazaki made no attempt to move, nor did he place a hand on the paper screen.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you, but...the letter was addressed to Kondou-sensei."

"Oh, really?" He had been left out. Toshizou remained composed and spoke his next line coldly. "Yamazaki-kun. Has a servant been sent to Kondou-san's relaxation chamber yet?"

"No, sir."

"Why not?"

"I plan to go there now. First, though, I thought I should inform you, Hijikata-sensei."

'Smart man.' The order had not been disrupted. This spy clearly understood Toshizou's professional emotions in regard to the position of Vice-Captain. The squad could always use more men like Yamazaki, Toshizou believed.

As the Vice-Captain finished dressing, the bell for dawn rang, and shutters in the hall were rolled open. It was still dim outside, and night had not completely ended.

'It's freezing.'

For the second month, it was too cold a morning. Toshizou left the gate alone, heading to Kondou's relaxation chamber. There were no icicles like back in Bushuu, but the temperature was low enough to freeze one's bones.

Suddenly, Toshizou noticed Okita Souji walking beside him.

"Well, this is a problem," Okita said in a hushed tone. The boy's voice, which always seemed excessively cheerful, was strangely subdued.

Okita had been good friends with Yamanami since the Edo days. Yamanami was 32, more than ten years Okita's senior, and had always treated the youth like a younger brother.

"He was a good man, though..." Okita peered over to Toshizou's profile.

The Vice-Captain was silent.

At this moment, Okita despised Toshizou. 'Yamanami-san hated this man so much that it forced him to break the rules and escape,' he thought. It wasn't just Okita, though...all the men in the squad had similar opinions.

On one side was the General Captain, and on the other, the Vice-Captain.

They were of equal status. However, while the Vice-Captain had direct command over all the troops, the General Captain was merely an aide to Force Captain Kondou. Toshizou had designed the system that way on purpose, in order to shelve away Yamanami Keisuke -- or, to put it more accurately, to make the Sendai man into dead stock.

'Yamanami-san couldn't bear to hold back his anger any longer.'

But that wasn't all.

Coming from the Hokushin Ittou style, Yamanami was of a different school of ideology. Thanks to Chiba Shuusaku, this style bore a deep connection to the Mito Tokugawa family, which drew many students from the Mito clan to the dojo.

Naturally, the dojo had been painted heavily with Mito philosophy, and so students refined their logical, Mito-style radicalism along with their swordsmanship. It would be impossible to count just how many active "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" party members came out from this dojo's gates. Okita already knew two quite well: the deceased Kiyokawa Hachirou, and the recent recruit, Itou Kashitarou.

'Deep down, Yamanami-san is one of them.' Okita thought, gradually returning to his bright self as he walked down Boujou Road. 'This man, though, is different. '

Toshizou, quite frankly, thought ideology was bullshit. Like an artist gradually becomes more and more absorbed in his art, Toshizou thought of nothing but the fortification of his creation; his mind was so devoid of all other thoughts that it seemed somehow innocent. Okita liked this aspect of Toshizou's character, but to the intellectual Yamanami Keisuke, the Vice-Captain's principle-less ignorance was intolerable.

"It is an ordeal to merely keep living here," Yamanami had once complained to Okita, shortly after the Ikedaya incident. "I have long since lost comprehension of why the Shinsengumi has to go on killing people like this. It is my belief that we originally pledged our lives to protecting our country from foreign evils and restoring the Emperor to power...but now, that very same squad is going around murdering die-hard loyalists. Do you not find this strange, Okita-kun?"

"Yes." Okita gave a vague smile of agreement.

"Okita-kun." Yamanami was acting unusually agitated, and drew nearer, pressing Okita to speak his honest opinion.

"Well, that's a tough one. I..." Okita scratched his head. He had killed more people than any other man at Ikedaya, which Yamanami had not been a part of.

"What do you think of the Shinsengumi?"

"...me?" Okita was torn. "My elder brother Rintarou was an old pupil of Shuusai-sensei's, and my elder sister Okou is related to Hijikata-san's family. When Kondou-san and Hijikata-san decided to come up to Kyou, I of course had no choice but to follow. Therefore, expelling the barbarians and revering the Emperor--"

"Has nothing to do with you."

"Yes, that's it...but," Okita chuckled awkwardly. "I'm fine with that," he declared, laughing happily for the first time.

"You really are a strange young man. Whenever I talk with you, I always get the feeling that you're a child the gods deliberately sent down to this world."

"Th, that's..." Okita floundered a bit, kicking a rock. He seemed quite embarrassed.

"Hijikata-san." Now, Okita kicked another rock. In a small voice, he called out to the man. He had to know what the Vice-Captain was planning. "What are you going to do with Yamanami-san?"

"What are you asking me for? That's a question that should be saved for the leader of the Shinsengumi."

"You mean Kondou-san?"

"The Commandments." That was the true leader, and Yamanami had agreed to every last line with full understanding.

'Seppuku,' Okita realized. In the next instant, Okita raised his voice. "Hijikata-san, everyone hates you! Yamanami-san too, of course. He abhors you."

"So what?" Toshizou was calm.

"So nothing. It's just...everyone, they fear and hate you. I thought you ought to know."

"But no one hates Kondou."

"Of course not, they all love him. There are even men in the squad that look up to Kondou-sensei like a father...unlike you..."

"I'm hated."

"Oh, so you already knew?"

"Of course. Let me tell you something, Souji: I'm the Vice-Captain. Think back from now to when we first assembled...all the orders and measures that have given the squad tension came from my mouth. Was there ever a single time I allowed Kondou-san to say such a thing? As the commander, Kondou has always been revered like a god. Souji, I'm not the Captain. I'm the Vice-Captain. And the Vice-Captain is supposed to bear all the hatred, while he makes his Captain look like the good guy. The Shinsengumi, in its basest form, is a disorderly crowd of men. It's formed in a way so that if allowed to slacken even a bit, everything will come apart. Now, in what situation will that happen?"

"I dunno."

"When the Vice-Captain becomes conceited and tries to steal some of the soldiers' popularity for himself. If the Vice-Captain tries to be a good guy like Yamanami and Itou, all the bitter orders will start coming out of Kondou's mouth. Naturally, resentment and criticism will follow, and Kondou will lose the trust of his men. The squad will fall to pieces."

"Ah." Okita politely apologized. "That was foolish of me. I had no idea you had been working so hard to make yourself the hateful one in the eyes of all the men."

"Stop it." From Okita's mouth, it all just sounded like teasing. "This is simply my nature," Toshizou said, with a sour expression.

Kondou looked deathly pale. Yamanami had been a guest at the Edo dojo, and after the pledge, a comrade. Not only that, but he had been one of the man's most trusted officers. His escape could be seen as silent criticism toward the direction of the squad.

"He's an old ally, but he cannot be forgiven," Kondou said.

If they excused the fleeing of Yamanami Keisuke, the rules that held the squad together would temporarily soften. More escapes would undoubtedly happen, and eventually the soldiers would be beyond all control.

"What was his reason?"

"He hated me. That's all you need to say."

"No," the spy Yamazaki, with a look of mediation, said something unexpected. "A few days ago, Yamanami-sensei heard about the downfall of the Tengu Party, and became utterly dispirited."

"The Tengu Party?" Kondou let his gaze float upwards. Indeed, news of the death penalty that had been handed out to each member of the Mito Tengu Party in Tsuruga, Echizen, which was not very far from Kyou, had been a recent topic of discussion in the squad.

Recently, the ex-governor of Mito, Takeda Kouunsai, who led the extremist Mito "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" party had heralded a call of mobilization to his righteous soldiers in the Tsukuba Mountains of Joushuu. They charged west to appeal to the Kyou representative of the government, Tokugawa Keiki, but ran out of strength halfway through, and surrendered in Kaga on the seventeenth day of the twelfth month of last year. The Kaga clan had treated them as loyal comrades. After all, they were not out to overthrow the government, and merely wanted to prod it into heeding the Imperial will.

This year, the young and arrogant Tanuma Genba-No-Kami came to Kyou from Edo with the intent of cleaning up the incident. During negotiations, he confiscated their weapons, and even went as far as removing approximately eight hundred uniforms from the army, leaving every man stark naked. The men were handled like animals, finally shut up in a fish cellar, where their treatment was cruel and barbaric.

That wasn't the end of things, however.

In the beginning of the second month, five pits approximately 6 meters wide were dug around Raikou Temple in the outskirts of Tsuruga. Hundreds of masterless samurai were dragged there, beheaded, and had their corpses kicked into the holes afterwards. 24 died on the 4th, 134 on the 15th, 102 on the 16, and 76 on the 19th, totaling to 352 in all. It was a massive genocide that the entire history of Japan, let alone the Tokugawa government, had rarely witnessed.

What's even more shocking is that these men hadn't been rebels or traitors, but merely a group attempting to call upon the Mito Tokugawa family -- and yet they were exterminated like vermin.

"The government has lost its mind," voices rang out through the nation. It's quite fair to say that this was the point when the general opinion of the nation's radicals turned from "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" to completely overthrowing the government itself. Just what sort of justice allowed such a murderous machine to stay in power?

"I cannot even stand to pay the government for rice and salt anymore." Yamanami conveyed that very question through a recent outburst, according to Yamazaki. Whether this was truth or fiction still remains unclear.

Knowing that he had at least seven or eight old friends who had been executed, however, it is not difficult to imagine how shocked he was. The bottom line was, Yamanami Keisuke had lost all hope in both the world and the Shinsengumi.

"I am returning to Edo, it says," Kondou announced, upon finishing the letter.

After hearing that, Okita felt relieved. Yamanami was close with Itou, and had no doubt received sympathy from the man in regard to the news. This alignment could have possibly resulted in an uprising within the squad...but he was returning to Edo. Yamanami was just going home. There wasn't anything political about the man's actions at all.

'He really is a good man.' Okita remembered the Sendai-accented swordsman as he stared aimlessly out into Kondou's garden. In that instant, the Force Captain's countenance squirmed. It was like his lips were trying to say something.

“Souji.” As if to stop that, however, Toshizou suddenly called out to Okita. "You're the perfect one to do this, you were friends with Yamanami-kun. If you leave on a horse right now, you should be able to catch up with him around Oozu."

"An assassination?" Okita asked, the look on his face asking why it had to be him. His countenance had faltered. Okita was an expert swordsman, though, so it wasn't toward the thought of his own death that he was quailing.

"You don't want to?" Toshizou stared intently at Okita.

"No." He showed the man a small smile, which soon blossomed into a bright grin. Somewhere deep inside, Okita had just disconnected his sentiments from Yamanami.

Okita Souji dashed back to the HQ, mounted a horse, and left.

It was cold. The chilling air penetrating his notrils made Okita cough as he rode on the leather harness. Struggling with his hacking, the young man galloped east along Sanjou Road. Around the entrance to Awata, he placed his gloves over his mouth. The cloth was moist, and faintly stained with blood.

'I don't have much longer left either, do I?' As this thought passed through Okita's mind, the greenery running along the Kachou Mountains to his right reflected vividly through his eyes.

Once Okita made it to the outskirts of Oozu's inn district, he heard a voice call out to him from a lone teahouse.

"Okita-kun." It was Yamanami. He was carefully holding a teacup filled with kudzu gruel in both hands.

Okita leaped off the sadle. "Yamanami-sensei. I'd like you to accompany me back to the headquarters."

"I am rather surprised that they chose you." Yamanami looked at Okita with those lonesome eyes of his. "But if you insist, then I have no choice. If it had been one of those spies that Hijikata-kun has under control, however, I would not have allowed them to return to Kyou alive."

"This is no different. If you want to return to Edo no matter what, Yamanami-sensei, then please unsheath your sword. You can cut me down here."

"Why must I be the one to do the cutting? You know I can't possibly match your blade."

The sun was still high in the sky. He might have possibly been able to return to Kyou in the same day, but Okita couldn't bear to rush Yamanami. They decided to go back to the capital in the morning, and spent the night at an inn in Oozu.

Both men slept on the floor next to one another.

"It is cold out tonight," Yamanami said.

Okita said nothing. The fact that this unlucky Sendai native had allowed the man to catch up with him was perturbing.

First of all, why had a man as intelligent as Yamanami not attempted to cover his tracks at all upon fleeing the squad, even going as far as to write a letter revealing that he was heading towards Edo? Not only that, but he had called out the very name of his tracker and shown himself. It was such clear, Yamanami-esque behavior.

That night, Yamanami neither talked about his dissatisfaction with the squad nor his plans for when he returned to Edo.

He talked about his hometown. It was all so trifling, too: the summers of Sendai, how hailstones about 3 cm large would fall in winter, and how picking yams was the most profitable job for a warrior.

"Did you pick yams too, Yamanami-sensei?"

"Yes, when I was a child. It was mainly a job for children, back then. It was fun, too. If you go into the mountains when the yams are still barely sprouting, and find a good spot, you can put some wheat in there. That way, the yams underground will grow along with the wheat, and you will always be able to tell how far along they are."

"In Edo--" Before Okita even got to what he was going to ask, Yamanami gently interrupted.

"Let us not talk about Edo right now. That land has disappeared from my life." The man most likely had no real plan in store for when he returned.

Two days later, on the twenty-third day of the second month of 1864 (Keiou 1), Yamanami Keisuke quietly committed seppuku just as he was instructed in a room inside the Maekawa estate. His assistant was Okita Souji.

Yamanami had a woman, and it was Nagakura Shinpachi who traveled to an establishment named Akesato in Shimabara to inform her of the news. She had stood along the rowhouses of Boujou Road the day before.

"Yamanami-san..." the woman cried, placing her hands on the window of the room in which Yamanami was imprisoned.

Yamanami embraced the woman's fingers from inside as they poked through the bars.

They stood like that for a while. From the shadow of the gate, Okita happened to see it, but he wasn't able to glimpse the woman's face. The only thing that remained in his eyes were her matte black Hiyori geta and her white socks.

Okita quickly hid behind the gate.

'Her feet were small.'

That was the only thought remaining in Okita's mind as he beheaded Yamanami Keisuke.

Next: Clouds Over Shijou Bridge

28

2010-06-14T19:07:00.003+09:00

28. The First Month of Keiou 1

After returning from Edo, Kondou seemed strangely restless.

'He's changed,' Toshizou thought. 'Just what happened to him?'

The Vice-Captain became temporarily perplexed, staring upon Kondou as he always did, except this time with cold eyes.

"Hey, Souji." One time, on the second floor of a small restaurant in Kiyamachi that he often frequented, Toshizou discussed the matter with Okita Souji. For some reason, he felt like he could tell the young man anything that was on his mind. "Talk of this should stay within these walls, got it? Lately...don't you think Kondou-san's been acting a bit unusual?"

"Yes," Okita snickered. He seemed to be in agreement. Since they got here, Okita had been eating nothing but the garnish around the sashimi. He had a very unbalanced diet, and would not eat raw things.

"Humans are fragile when it comes to honor. Kondou met with a bunch of elders in Edo, so that must be the source of why he's acting like this."

"Well..." obviously, that's what Okita thought in the back of his mind. Kondou had been born the son of a farmer in Tama, with no background or even a family name. But now, that very same Kondou was mingling with court elders and taking part in political discussions.

After first hearing news of this, Okita was dubious. He even thought that Kondou may have merely sat in a guard room next to the entranceway, spoke to one of the elders, and was now just making a big deal out of it.

From the day he came back, Kondou had been going on and on about "Sir Izu," repeating the name as if it was some kind of a Buddhist prayer. He wouldn't say Elder Master Matsumae Izu-No-Kami, instead referring to the man as if they were well-acquainted.

"The Force Captain of the Shinsengumi is just like an actual daimyo..." some of the recent Shinsengumi recruits remarked in admiration.

He also went to Nijou Castle at least once every three days. This castle was something that the father of the Tokugawa family, Tokugawa Ieyasu, had built to be used by the shogun whenever he came to the capital. Currently, it was occupied by the "Supreme Guardian of the Royal Palace," Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu (who later became the 15th shogun).

Here, Kondou engaged in talks with officials from the Kyou Office of Protection, as well as discussed the state of the nation with Yoshinobu's aides.

After returning from Edo, Kondou's procession to the castle became almost exactly the same as a daimyo's. He would not use a palanquin, but ride a horse. Twenty to thirty soldiers would also accompany him, making the captain seem like the leader of a small nation.

"He is no longer some run-of-the-mill patriot from the country." Okita had heard this insulting phrase come from the mouth of Yamanami Keisuke shortly after the union.

"But, Hijikata-san..." Okita began. "Aren't you the one who secretly built Kondou-san up and pushed for him to become more daimyo-like in the first place?"

"Mmm..." Toshizou shifted his eyes away. "That's right."

"So it's your fault, then."

"No. All I said was that I wanted the power of the Shinsengumi to become equal to that of big clans like Aizu, Satsuma, Choushuu, and Doshuu. I still intend to do that now. Now of course, in the twilight of this plan, Kondou-san will receive an honored name and rise to become a daimyo, the leader of this entity...but the feeling is different."

"I dunno..." Okita cocked his head.

"What?"

"You can't except Kondou-san to understand all the intricacies behind what you tell him. After all, unlike you, Hijikata-san, that man is very soft-hearted."

"--what do you mean 'unlike' me, Souji?!"

"Ufu..."

Toshizou poked at his fish with some chopsticks. Okita was clever, so he would say no more. As for the humorous nature of the new Kondou, and the true mental state of Toshizou, he had everything figured out.

One of the reasons for Kondou's daimyo act was due to the rapidly increasing members of the Shinsengumi. Just recently, they had gathered up 50 new men from Edo, who had already gone into service.

The union with the Itou group also had a lot to do with it. They were all masters of both the pen and the sword, and were of a different breed than the recruits so far. Itou was a first-rate politician. Whether it was debate or scholarship, Kondou wouldn't even be able to catch up with the likes of Itou Kashitarou. It was even possible that Kondou couldn't keep up in a fight with Itou, either.

In truth, since the union with Itou happened, the popularity coming from the soldiers had changed greatly. The shadow of the Vice-Captain had become thinner, and even the popularity of Kondou was a bit lacking.

'Therefore Kondou is trying to beat him out in terms of class,' Okita assessed.

If he couldn't match Itou in any area, then Kondou had no choice to become "daimyo-class." He was attempting to show not only Itou, but the entire squad that "only I have a special class." All in all, it was just the kind of thing a country bumpkin from Tama would try to do.

"However," Yamanami Keisuke had once said to Okita, "we are not Kondou's vassals. Since we first bound together, we all came to Edo and pledged to work hard towards revering the Emperor and expelling the barbarians. The Shinsengumi is a band of allies, without a system of lord and retainer, and Kondou is an equal to the rest of his men...so it really makes one wonder what he's trying to accomplish by acting like a daimyo ever time he makes a visit to the castle."

'Exactly,' In his mind, Okita was in full agreement. 'Kondou-san is getting a little too carried away here. This might end up being the very thing that allows Itou Kashitarou to trip him up.'

"Souji," Toshizou spoke up. "It's still too early for Kondou-san to be acting like a daimyo. That should be saved for until the rebellion is suppressed. At the very least, we should take out Choushuu, and then move into occupy at least half of their land."

'Ah,' Okita suddenly though. Even for Okita Souji, this was the first time he realized what Toshizou's true plans for the Shinsengumi were.

"Hijikata-san..." Okita set down his chopsticks. "Are you serious about that?"

"About what?"

"Taking half of Choushuu's land."

"That was just an example. Taking land through military force is one of the most customary practices of a warrior. Once the rebellion is suppressed, I doubt the government will stay quiet."

"I'm shocked." It was like the thought process of a general from the Warring States Period. More than simple, it seemed old-fashioned...which would make it a frighteningly out-of-date strategy. "Hijikata-san, are you saying that you want to become a daimyo as well?"

"You dumbass!" Toshizou yelled in a low voice. "Of course I don't!"

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. You think the fighting genius from Bushuu, Hijikata Toshizou, would ever stand to become something like that? I want to do my job. Advancement in this world doesn't mean..."

"Doesn't mean...?"

"I never think about anything like that. I'm a craftsman. Not a patriot, not a loyalist, none of that shit. I don't even care about the fate of the nation. All I want to do is build the Shinsengumi to be the strongest fighting machine this world has ever seen. I know my own self-worth."

"Well, that's a relief!" Okita laughed happily. "But what about Kondou-san?"

"His true feelings?"

"Yes."

"How should I know? Whether he manages to ride on the fortune of the times and become a daimyo, or whether his luck turns sour and he reverts to just another bumpkin swordsman from Tama, my job remains the same: to assist him in his endeavors. With that said, it is my belief that when and if that man decides to abandon the Shinsengumi, we will separate."

'This is Hijikata-san at his best,' Okita thought, staring fondly at the man. In a way, Toshizou was a madman. If this type of madman hadn't existed, however, the Shinsengumi would have almost surely broken up by now.

"That's why..." Toshizou said, with a Tama drawl, "it's still too early for Kondou to become a daimyo. Itou's here now, and he's gaining popularity. But if Kondou tries to float up as a daimyo by himself, the squad will rupture."

What Toshizou was saying now was in clear contradiction with his previous order to Kondou to "act like a daimyo." However, the past was the past, and this was the present. The Itou union had changed everything. Because a man like Itou was so capable of stealing the reins of the Shinsengumi, Toshizou was actually looking upon the entire situation with a feeling closer to fear.

Around this time, something occurred that appeared utterly ridiculous in Toshizou's eyes.

That year, when the era changed to the first month of 1864 (Keiou 1), Toshizou had gone to Osaka on business.

When he returned, the New Year's pine decorations had already been taken down around Kyou. He walked through the gate into the headquarters, only to see some soldiers making noise in the garden.

'What's going on?'

Kondou came walking down the hallway. As unbelievable as it seemed, his face had been daubed white as a ghost in a makeup disaster that would embarrass even a court noble.

'That jackass...has he finally gone completely insane?!' Toshizou flared up, leaping from one walkway to the next, and ran after Kondou.

"Oh, you're back!" Itou Kashitarou stepped out from his room halfway through Toshizou's chase, giving the man a courteous greeting.

Itou's face was as white as a woman's, and his eyebrows had been cleanly shaved, making for a truly handsome appearance. He smiled as any actor playing the hero would.

'It can't be...there's no way Kondou would paint his face white and go walking around like that, all for the purpose of competing with this guy...'

Toshizou slid open the screen to Kondou's room, and was jolted into an upright position with a gasp.

Sitting in the center was Kondou, with that white face of his.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Oh, this?" Kondou obliviously pointed to his own face. "I was going for a portrait."

'Goddammit...' Toshizou sat down with a grim expression. In the capital, did everyone put on makeup for portraits or something? "I'm just going to tell it to you straight today. Don't you think your actions have been a little strange lately?" Toshizou bluntly explained everything he had told Okita. "They say when people ascend to seats of honor, they lose a bit of themselves. That's exactly what happened to you. And I sure as hell didn't come all the way up here to Kyou just to watch you turn yourself into a disgusting white-headed monster."

"Toshi, watch your language. Hearing you go on and on in that Tama dialect makes my head hurt."

With a sullen look on his face, Kondou went out to the garden. There was a matting in the center, which he walked over and sat on to continue pouting. After a bit, what looked like a Confucianist followed by three doctors carrying medicine cases appeared and began to surround Kondou.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Toshizou asked the nearby soldiers what was going on. Apparently, things had been busy since morning, and by now everyone knew all the details as to what was going to happen.

"It's for a portrait."

Current photograph technology utilized dull wet plates, so subjects would often put a light layer of white powder over their faces and sit in front of a white curtain in order to improve the exposure.

The famous Ueno Hikoma from Oomura studied chemistry in a Nagasaki laboratory from the Dutch Chemist Johannes Lijdius Catharinus Pompe van Meerdervoort. The first photograph Ueno ever shot was at Nagasaki's Nanking Temple, of a man who later became an ally of Kondou, Matsumoto Ryoujun (who studied Dutch medicine and later became the court physician of the shogun Iemochi. Until the end of the Tokugawa era, he expressed much favor toward the Shinsengumi. After the Restoration, he changed his name to Jun, became the Surgeon General, and later a Baron).

Despite the man's protest, Ueno Hikoma had applied white powder to Ryoujun's face. His face was naturally tan, and so he had needed and extra heavy amount of powder to make it white. On top of that, Ryoujun had very rugged features. After all was said and done, he had turned into something monstrous.

"But it's all for the sake of science," he convinced himself, enduring the ordeal.

In order to improve exposure even more, Ueno Hikoma climbed onto the roof of the big temple, holding still for long hours in order to take the best possible shot. Townspeople who saw this mistook him for a new statue that had been fixated there, and large crowds were said to have gathered.

The one who was scheduled to photograph Kondou today was that very man.

From what Toshizou gathered, Ueno Hikoma had recently been sent to Nijou Castle. On top of that, the Supreme Guardian of the Royal Palace, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu, had directly ordered him to "photograph Kondou." Yoshinobu was a fan of photography, and would always catch any daimyo who came to the castle and have them take a portrait. Toshizou had also heard rumors that these portraits were used as treats to earn the favor from various leaders.

'Now I get it...so Kondou's become that great of a daimyo, huh?'

Indeed, the captain was no longer a run-of-the-mill samurai. Out of Toshizou's sight, Kondou was in the process of becoming abnormally eminent in the world.

"Please, hold your breath for a moment," the technician said.

"Like this?"

"Exactly."

The technician opened the lens. Then, inside the large, black box, Kondou's figure began to be reflected.

"..." Kondou continued to hold his breath.

The technician did not allow even the slightest gasp for air.

Gradually, Kondou's veins grew fuller. His normally intimidating eyebrows became even more threatening. As he continued to suffer from holding his breath, Kondou's teeth began to groan.

Finally, the technician closed the lens.

"Go ahead," he said.

Kondou took a deep breath.

Toshizou became perturbed. This photograph of Kondou Isami, a man deeply connected to Kyou politics, would last forever. That image of him struggling to hold his breath and ending up with the face of a demon would be etched in history.

"Toshi, how about you?"

"No thank you." He returned to the hallway. As Toshizou walked back down, he realized that in the crowd of gawking soldiers, Itou Kashitarou was not present.

It wasn't just Itou, though. All of the men from the Itou group were absent. Toshizou was probably the only one who noticed this.

'They should be in his room, but...'

The Itou men must have purposefully not looked upon the spectacle. To them, something which any other man would have seen as a rare and interesting event was not even worth a glance.

'Disrespectful bastards,' Toshizou thought in irritation.

He could imagine the reason why. Itou was a political scholar, and a radical orator. Although he was also a believer in the "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" movement, men of his school of thought believed Japan to be a land that was close to a holy paradise, which was not to be defiled by Western things and alien footprints. If asked to watch a photograph be taken, they were most likey to decline, claiming "your eyes will be corrupted."

All the absent men were gathered in Itou's room.

Toshizou deliberately passed by, finding that the paper screen had been left slightly ajar. He peeked inside, seeing that everyone was gathered around a large brazier, discussing something.

Itou was smiling gently. Sitting around him were his followers, Shinohara, Hattori, Kano, Nakanishi, Utsumi, along with other soldiers... and Yamanami Keisuke.

'Yamanami, that son of a bitch!' Toshizou unconsciously roared in his gut.

Since the moment Itou joined the squad, Yamanami had been giving the man unusually special treatment. Despite being the General Captain, it seemed like Yamanami had abandoned his post and simply become another one of Itou's followers.

"Does he intend to completely turn his back on Kondou?"

It was truly odd.

With this new development, Toshizou's enmity toward Yamanami Keisuke for the man's defection became far more profound than what he felt towards the outsider Itou Kashitarou.

Toshizou passed by the room. After he did so, throes of laughter suddenly burst out behind him. It's not like they were laughing at Toshizou. The man's face, however, turned a pale blue color as he stared back at the room from the other side of the hallway. At this rate, while Kondou was having fun with his makeup, this group of laughing men would soon come to grip the reigns of the Shinsengumi in no time at all.

'How can I be sure, though?' For now, it was only a premonition.

Strangely enough, however, Toshizou's premonition became reality in a very unexpected manner.

Yamanami Keisuke fled.

Next: Toshizou, Hated

27

2010-06-14T19:02:00.003+09:00

27. Kashitarou, To Kyou

It was in the back room of the Kondou dojo, atop a hill in Kohinata Yanagi Town where Itou Kashitarou first came face to face with Kondou Isami.

"Itou-sensei," Kondou called the man. His eyes were so sharp they seemed capable of shining right through people. From beginning to end, he was laughing. Takeda Kanryuusai, Ogata Shuntarou, and Nagakura Kenpachi, who were all at his side, would later remark that they had never seen their Captain in a better mood.

"Ogata-kun, sensei's cup is looking a little lonely there," he motioned.

"Oh no, I think I've had enough." Itou courteously bowed his head.

"Please, make yourself at home. I've heard that you can really hold your sake, so please, enjoy yourself. Let us talk to our hearts' contents today."

"I would have it no other way."

Itou Kashitarou was wearing a stylish Nanako fabric haori, a lined black silk kimono with a crest embroidering, and a striped Sendaihira hakama. The hilts of both his swords were coated in silver with gold inlays, and the sheaths had fretwork of bamboo and sparrows on them. All in all, Itou was dressed in a majestic fashion that made him seem like a high-ranking vassal. By nature, he was a man with a fine appearance.

"This is truly a great turn of events." Kondou, despite being someone who couldn't drink, had already downed three cups, and had earned himself a face as red as a beet.

He seemed extremely happy.

'Just what kind of man is he?' Itou did not loosen up on his surveillance as his drinks piled up. To Itou, who planned on someday taking hold of the reins of the Shinsengumi, this survey meant everything.

'Just as the rumors say, he's no average man' was Kashitarou's first observation. This wasn't to say that Kondou was a remarkable character -- the Force Captain just seemed to have an abnormally animal aura about him. To put it simply, he appeared as an unadulterated example of the human male. He possessed a vitality like any other wild beast, and a spirit swelling up from every point on his body that if focused on, would easily make one tremble.

To Itou, Kondou was much like a human blade...but not a thin one like a razor or a dagger...like a chisel. If struck with a gavel, he could become strong enough to cut through pure steel.

'Frightening...' Kashitarou thought, simultaneously filled with disdain. 'This is a man that only a chaotic world would deem necessary.' In order to ward off Kondou's massive presence, Itou eagerly scorned the man. 'But he has an unexpected weak point.'

This chisel of a man had a rather pathetic love for politics. And on this day, Kondou acted quite unlike himself and told an immense lie.

According to this man, the real reason for this trip from Kyou was in order to persuade the shogun.

"The shogun?"

"Yes."

Apparently, he had requested that the shogun to come up to Kyou and lead an army under Imperial command to subjugate Choushuu.

"Hohoh..." In the beginning, Itou was only half-convinced. No matter how much governmental authority he may have had, there was no way some masterless samurai captain would be able to request such a thing. "How surprising. To think that you, Kondou-sensei, would be granted the honor of receiving an audience with the shogun..."

"Ah, no..." Kondou became flustered. "I didn't speak directly to the shogun. First, I met with Council Elder Sir Matsumae Izu-No-Kami, and then visited every other elder on the council, leaving no man unspoken to. Through explaining the urgency of the situation in the capital, I expressed the reasons as to why our Lord's emergency ascent is necessary."

"I see." It was still a commendable job. Giving political advice to the government was strictly the duty of trusted daimyo and relatives of the Tokugawa family. During the reign of Chief Minister Ii, numerous daimyo of outer clans had been incriminated merely for saying something offhand to the government. And yet, here was the masterless samurai Kondou preparing to maneuver the entire political machine himself. (Of course, in order to meet with these officials, Kondou had received special help from the Aizu clan.)

'The government really has wasted away,' Itou concluded. "Well then? What did they have to say about your ideas?"

"Itou-sensei," Kondou lowered his voice. "I trust that what I say here will not leave this room."

"You needn't harbor even the slightest worry." Itou nodded gracefully.

"Then I will inform you as a fellow comrade. Please consider this as a government secret of the highest priority. If any part of this is somehow leaked out to obviously Choushuu, Satsuma, Inshuu, Chikuzen, Tosa, or any other western daimyo attempting to steal away control the nation from the Tokugawa, things will turn dire."

The elders had revealed to Kondou just how classified this information was, and the Force Captain was in turn attempting to display this to Kashitarou.

"Itou-kun." Kondou changed the suffix of the man's name to one he would use for an ally. "The treasury has reached the point to where our Lord does not possess the capital needed to ascend to the west."

"Money--"

"Yes...it's all gone," he nodded.

"The government's?"

"They're completely out of funds. In order for our Lord to ascend to the capital, a plentiful number of accompanying men is vital. They have no way to supply a sufficient allowance for this–but that isn't all. Artillery is necessary. Packhorses are necessary. Provisions also need to be prepared. Gunpowder is necessary. And warships to carry it all are also necessary. Itou-kun, the capital to accomplish this...does not exist." Kondou made a bitter expression, as if he himself was one of the elders.

Incidentally, around this time, the government was in the middle of secret talks with France, negotiating an international loan through which they planned to Westernize their army and subjugate Choushuu (although, due to complications, it ended up not working out). This was how extreme the government's financial difficulties were.

"But..." Itou quietly began. "In Edo, the Tokugawa family has their vassals, who they've fostered for over three hundred years. If our Lord truly is planning to take the first battle stance since the days of the Incarnation of Light in the East (Tokugawa Ieyasu), then they should be prepared to repay their centuries of debt and take part, even if it means selling their belongings, taking up arms, and supplying provisions for the trip themselves."

"About that..." Kondou said uncomfortably. "I expect you've heard the rumors yourself, Itou-kun...but a majority of the Edo vassals do not wish for mobilization, due to their own poverty."

Itou had heard. Of course, it wasn't every vassal, but well over half that had spoken out against the shogun going in person to subjugate Choushuu. There were even some stationed in Edo Castle that openly criticized the idea. "How could it ever be necessary for the shogun to go subjugate some lone 360,000 koku daimyo in the West?"

The bottom line was, if the shogun ended up leaving for Kyou, all of his family and vassals would have to follow. This wasn't just a matter of damaging personal finances, it would mean abandoning days of indolence in Edo and risking their lives for some meaningless battle. For these men, who had been honored as direct servants and feudal lords for the past 300 years, such a change was unthinkable.

"The so-called myriad of vassal warriors," Kondou said, "are no more useful than straw dolls. Itou-kun, our Lord must obey orders from the Emperor and protect the Imperial Palace, suppress Choushuu, and then finally cleanse our country of the foreign barbarians. The question is, who will be our Lord's protectors? The vassals hate war. In the end, the only entity left capable of protecting both the shogun and the Royal family is the Shinsengumi."

Kondou downed the rest of the sake in his cup, and then held it out to Itou, who took it. Ogata Shuntarou, from Kondou's side, refilled the utensil.

"Itou-kun, let us seal a brotherly pact."

"Absolutely." Itou silently drank his sake. As to the thoughts brewing in the man's heart at that moment, no one can be sure.

One day after meeting with Kondou, Itou gathered up his prominent disciples and comrades from the Fukugawa Saga Town dojo.

He came up with seven men, none of them supporters of the government. They were all planning, if possible, to raise their flags in Kyou, kidnap the Emperor, and then begin a new chapter in the "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" movement.

Among them was Suzuki Mikisaburou (who later defected to Satsuma, and attempted to snipe Kondou. After the Restoration, he became an Assistant Inspector in the Imperial Prosecuting and Investigating Office. In Taishou 8 (1920), he passed away at the age of 83).

The rest of Itou's old comrades included:

Shinohara Tainoshin (who also defected. He died in Meiji 44 (1911) at age 84).

Kanou Michinosuke (also known as Washio, who later defected to Satsuma).

Hattori Takeo (who died in battle before the Restoration).

Sano Shimenosuke (who committed seppuku before the Restoration).

The remaining two, Nakanishi Noboru and Utsumi Jirou (who both later defected to Satsuma) were Itou's disciples.

Out of these men, the ones said to be especially skilled in their swordsmanship were the Bushuu native Hattori Takeo and the ex-Kurume clan warrior Shinohara Tainoshin. Even men like Kanou and Sano, however, were no less capable than the Shinsengumi's current division captains.

Itou explained the details of his talk with Kondou to these seven, even going as far as to reveal the truth of his own intentions. "At the most, this is nothing more than a union. Eventually, I will come to grip the leadership of the group, and we will become a righteous army capable of toppling the government. Any questions, gentlemen?

"Our goal," Itou continued, "is to enter the lion's den. We won't be hunting the lions, but instead kicking out the rabid ones and taking the hole for ourselves. I request that you men trust in me with your lives."

Everyone acknowledged this.

There was one person, however -- the eldest member of the group, Shinohara Tainoshin -- who wondered if this clever scheme of Itou's wasn't a bit too dangerous.

"I wonder if we'll be alright..." he speculated, in his charming Kurume accent. Shinohara was a radical so extreme that he had set fire to a foreign residence in Yokohama with some of the other men a few years ago. With that said, he was normally a very calm man, much like one would expect a village headman to be. Aside from swordsmanship, he was also trained in judo.

"What do you mean you wonder if we'll be alright?"

"I'm not very good at acting, you know. Entering the Shinsengumi with this much treachery in mind...I'm not sure if I could keep it up for even three days."

"That's fine," Itou was confident in himself. "I'll take care of all the acting. All you men need to do is listen to the orders of Kondou and go about your business. When the time is right, we'll begin our revolt."

"Sounds easy enough for me," Shinohara smiled. "But, boss..."

"You're concerned about me?"

"Yes. You may not like the way this sounds, but...I wonder if your immense talent might not accidentally cause you to trip on your way from the audience to the stage."

"Shinohara-kun..."

"Just hear me out here. Even a motley crew like the Shinsengumi isn't composed solely of morons. They have a very clever man on their side, one that can easily see through third-rate performances...he goes by the name Hijikata Toshizou."

"No, I already gathered some information on him. Hijikata is an uneducated man. An insignificance."

"Hmm...you sure about that?"

"Shinohara-kun, cowardice is quite unbecoming of you."

"What?" Shinohara laughed. "Since things were decided, I was prepared to bet my life and beliefs on your wisdom. But I am feeling a little uneasiness about this whole union thing."

"Uneasiness? According to Toudou-kun, the Shinsengumi is just a disorderly mob. You're fearing them too much, Shinohara-kun."

"What I'm afraid of isn't Kondou or Hijikata."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"That wisdom of yours. No, maybe it's the way you're betting so much on it. From my point of view, you've got a bunch of ham actors lined up here to follow you, the star. I just hope you don't act too well and float higher up than you need to."

"Shinohara-kun..."

"Nope, that's all I have to say. I leave the rest to you, boss -- hey, it's sake, time, Hattori-kun!"

"Huh?"

"Let's all go grab some sake. As a farewell to Edo's alcohol, I'm drinking until I burst tonight."

That night, after everyone left, Itou wrote a letter about his plans to leave for Kyou to his aged mother Koyo who was living alone in Mimura, Joushuu. After telling his wife Ume about the nature of the union, Itou closed up the dojo and moved his family to a rented house in Mitadai Town.

As mentioned earlier, Itou originally went by the name Ookura, and then changed his name to Kashitarou after he left Edo. He seemed to be greatly prepared for his mission, in a very Itou-esque fashion.

Another episode exists, however, in regards to Itou's preparation to shift up to Kyou. Judging from the man's letters, it may appear that his wife Ume was a very educated woman, but she was also greatly worried about the fate of her husband in the capital.

After receiving a fake letter claiming that his mother had contracted a severe illness, Itou rushed back to Edo in a palanquin as fast as he could, only to hear:

"The truth is, what I wrote about your mother's illness was a lie. The possibility of danger befalling you in the capital just worries me too much, so I thought I'd call you back and ask you to stop getting involved in politics. That's why I wrote the letter." (This information was published in Ono Keijirou's "My Uncle, Itou Kashitarou").

It's unsure as to the feelings Itou harbored toward Ume at this time. All that has been recorded is that he was "extremely frustrated," and that "all the woman thinks about is herself, and has no comprehension of the importance this has on the fate of the nation."

With that, Itou separated from his wife. There were a great number of first-generation loyalists during the Bakumatsu who were also devoted husbands, and Itou Kashitarou was probably the only one to ever get a divorce over politics. (As a side note, Itou's mother Koyo kept a picture of her son in an alcove that she prayed to every morning and night. In 1892 (Meiji 25), she died at the age of 82 in the house of her second son Mikisaburou, in Ishioka Town, Joushuu. The cause of her death might possibly have been due to sorrow at the passing of the immortal Emperor).

The eight men of the Itou group entered the capital on the first day of the twelfth month of 1864 (Genji 1). It was a chillingly cold day.

That afternoon, Toshizou was eating a meal alone in his room. The Vice-Captain was technically supposed to have one apprentice soldier serve him, but Toshizou would allow no one to wait on him. He would always scoop his own rice out from the big wooden container and eat by himself. Ever since he was a child, Toshizou had hated having to dine with other people. This was yet another one of his cat-like qualities.

"Who is it?" The Vice-Captain dropped his chopsticks.

A shadow moved behind the paper screen.

Crisply, without a shred of reserve, the door slid open, and Okita Souji stepped inside.

"Oh, it's just you." If there was one young man to whom Toshizou always had trouble dealing with, it was this one.

"Don't mind me! Please, keep eating."

"Is this urgent business?"

"No, I just came to watch. I don't have a very big appetite, so I love watching other people happily eat their meals. Especially you, Hijikata-san...just watching the way you eat makes energy want to come bursting right out of my body!"

"You're such a pain, you know that?" Toshizou sipped his tea. "Come on, what do you want?"

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"There are eight visitors from Edo currently in Kondou-sensei's relaxation room (a detached estate at Koushouji Temple)."

"Hm." Toshizou sat his teacup down. "It's Itou, isn't it?"

"What sharp intuition you have there. This Itou fellow has white skin and looks so handsome he could be an actor, but that's not all...he's got a bunch of demonic-looking tough guys with him that could probably give Benkei or Ise Yoshimori a run for their money."

"Oh really?" Toshizou started fiddling with a toothpick.

"Yamanami-sensei and Toudou-san, being of the same style as these men, already went out to go greet them."

"That's strange. No messenger came to the Vice-Captain's room to report of any visitors."

"My apologies for being late -- that messenger is me, sir! Kondou-sensei ordered me to go tell you right away, Hijikata-san."

"Idiot! Why didn't you do it sooner, then?!"

"But..." Okita snickered.

"What's so funny?"

"Watching your face change like that is so amusing, Hijikata-san."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Would you be so kind as to accompany me at once to the Koushouji Temple residence?"

"I'm not going." He continued prodding himself with the toothpick. Toshizou had his own reasons for his actions. He didn't see any reason why the Vice-Captain of the Shinsengumi had to go all the way out to the soldiers' lodging in order to welcome a few new recruits.

"If Itou-san wants to see my face so badly, he is welcome to come to the Vice-Captain's room in the HQ and take a look." Toshizou tossed the toothpick away.

Okita snorted and began laughing. Teasing aside, this is what he liked about Toshizou so much.

Next: The First Month of Keiou 1

燃えよ剣 ～ Burn, My Sword ～

Welcome

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燃えよ剣　～ Burn, My Sword ～